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WORLD NEWS Thursday 3 sepTember 2020
Damaged Venezuelan oil tanker drawing international concern

By JOSHUA GOODMAN maritime industry. An indus-
and SCOTT SMITH try executive, who spoke to
Associated Press The Associated Press on the
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) condition of anonymity for
— The sight of a huge oil fear of retaliation, said the
tanker that has taken on lack of maintenance ap-
water and is leaning to one pears to have damaged
side off a remote stretch of valves in the ballast system
Venezuela's coast has trig- used to stabilize the ship.
gered international calls for Today it dangerously leans
action. more than 5 degrees on
After years of neglect, the its right side, the execu-
FSO Nabarima, a rusting tive said. Shipping track-
hulk full of thick crude, is in ing data shows that it has
a dangerous state of disre- also sunk 14.5 meters (47.57
pair. While the full extent of feet), right at the waterline,
the damage is unknown, if a sign of excess weight.
not repaired soon it could A potential spill in the shal-
sink and spell environmen- low inland sea that Ven-
tal disaster, polluting tur- ezuela shares with Trinidad
quoise seas along the vast & Tobago could damage
coastline of Venezuela and fragile mangroves, fisheries
several neighboring Carib- and bird sanctuaries.
bean nations, government The situation has raised
critics and maritime experts alarm in Trinidad and the
say. This satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows the FSO Nabarima oil tanker off the nearby Dutch Caribbean
Adding to concerns, Ven- coast of Trinidad and Tobago, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020. Associated Press islands of Aruba, Bonaire
ezuela's socialist govern- and Curacao, said a sec-
ment has said nothing pub- disaster. five times the amount the VSA say the double-hulled ond industry executive,
licly about its plans for the "I invited you, Mr. President. Exxon Valdez spilled in 1989. tanker — built in 2005 for who also insisted on speak-
container. Take a helicopter. Go out It was used as a stationary ConocoPhillips by South ing anonymously because
However, anti-government there. Do your own inspec- platform anchored in the Korea's Samsung — is just they weren't authorized to
oil workers like Eudis Girot, tion," Girot said in an on- Gulf of Paria designed to one example of the social- discuss the matter publicly.
head of the Unitary Federa- line video in recent days. help export the OPEC na- ist government's corrup- To prevent an environmen-
tion of Petroleum Workers of He has also posted three tion's oil. But it has fallen tion and mismanagement tal disaster, PDVSA would
Venezuela, has launched photos of what he said is inactive with the recent that has bankrupted the have to transfer crude off
a campaign seeking to get the ship's flooded engine plunge in global energy de- nation's petroleum industry the tanker's cargo to an-
President Nicolás Maduro room. "By God, I hope I am mand due to the coronavi- that once made Venezu- other vessel in a risky ship-
to pay attention. He is urg- wrong." rus pandemic and to U.S. ela wealthy. to-ship transfer.
ing the embattled leader The Venezuelan-flagged sanctions on Maduro's gov- "That ship should not be in But U.S. sanctions that ban
to look beyond years of Nabarima is a 264-meter ernment that have scared this shape except for ne- Americans from doing busi-
bitter disputes between his (866-foot) long ship be- away potential buyers of glect and stupidity," said ness with Venezuela could
government and the oil lieved to be almost filled the country's heavy crude. Russ Dallen, head of Cara- scare off many foreign
workers union to head off to its capacity of 1.4 million Critics of Venezuela's col- cas Capital Markets, who companies from getting in-
a potential environmental barrels of crude — about lapsing state-run oil firm PD- closely tracks Venezuela's volved. q

Thailand’s king reconciles with ousted consort

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai- Bloggers who follow royal the throne after the 2016
land's king has reconciled news had reported last death of his father, King
with his royal consort, whom week that Sineenatra had Bhumibol Adulyadej, who
he stripped of her titles last been rehabilitated. She reigned for 70 years.
year after accusing her of had not been seen publicly Then last October, less than
seeking to undermine his after her fall from grace last three months after making
official wife, the country's year and her whereabouts Sineenatra his royal con-
queen. were never made clear. sort, the king issued a com-
The restoration of Sineena- In July last year, Vajiralong- mand rescinding the ap-
tra Wongvajirabhakdi to korn gave Sineenatra the pointment. In a statement,
the good graces of King title of chao khun phra, or he accused her of misbe-
Maha Vajiralongkorn was royal noble consort, reviv- having by actively seeking
confirmed by an official ing an old palace tradition to block Suthida's appoint-
announcement published of taking a junior wife that ment as queen in order to
Wednesday in the Royal had not been practiced for take the position herself,
Gazette. The announce- almost a century. and saying that when she This undated file photo posted on Aug. 26, 2019, on the Thailand
ment, dated Aug. 29, said In May last year, Vajiralong- failed to block Suthida, her Royal Office website shows King Maha Vajiralongkorn with
she was being given back korn named longtime com- "ambitions and aspirations" Major General Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi, the royal noble
her royal and military titles. panion Suthida Vajiralong- led her to continue to seek consort.
It said Sineenatra was not korn Na Ayudhya his queen ways to promote herself. Associated Press
tainted by any wrongdo- when they were married a Both Queen Suthida, 42, da was previously a flight old king has seven children
ing, and the record should few days before his formal and Sineenatra, 35, have attendant with Thai Air- by three previous marriag-
not show that she ever lost coronation. served as senior officers in ways, while Sineenatra was es, all of which ended in
her privileges. Vajiralongkorn assumed palace security units. Suthi- an army nurse. The 68-year- divorce.q