The CBT consortium consists of SMIT Salvage BV, Scaldis Salvage & Marine Contractors NV, URS Salvage & Maritime Contracting NV, and Multraship Salvage BV.

Tricolor is being sectioned by a cutting wire pulled back and forth with special winches aboard the jack-up platforms Vagrant and Buzzard .

Buzzard had earlier been used to install messenger wires underneath the wreckage which guide the cutting wire into position. The efficacy of the system is seen in photos of the first to be raised aft sections, with the cut line running precisely just behind the main engines.

The stern section was raised last month in a difficult tandem lift executed by the sheerlegs Asian Hercules II and Rambiz , which placed it on board the semi-submersible Giant 4 . The weight and six story height of this section required it to be left on the deck of Giant 4 inZeebrugge, as the lift of the second section was delayed by bad weather. However, work on dismantling and disposing of the section, as well as removing the cargo of luxury cars, went ahead.

A week later the 3,400 tonne second section was successfully placed on Giant 4 next to the first section.

Asian Hercules II had to remain connected during the entire voyage to Zeebrugge to ensure this unstable section did not collapse.

The cutting team then switched to the other end of Tricolor and commenced work on slicing off the bow section, third to be removed as it is one of the more solid parts of the wreck.

This was successfully completed in 21 actual cutting hours. At the time of writing, the cutting team was repositioning the jack-up rigs for the first of two more cuts. When completed, the sheerlegs would be mobilised to lift three more section from the seabed.

MJ Information No: 18601