MarineCo UK has reported the sale of their shallow draft tug Akela . The 800bhp vessel, purchased by the company in 2000, has been sold to an operator in Buenos Aires and left Europe as deck cargo aboard the mvSpring Dragon . A replacement vessel, the former Smit Bison (ex:

DH Alpha ), has already been purchased. The latter is a multi-purpose vessel of 23.3m in length, built in 1994 and powered by two Cummins KTA-19 main engines.

The final large section of the Tricolor car carrier wreck was lifted and delivered to Zeebrugge on the 27 July by the Combinatie Berging Tricolor , the consortium responsible for the wreck removal operation. It is now the task of the floating sheerlegs Taklift 4 toremove the relatively small parts of the vessel and its cargo, ranging from parts of the car decks, hull side-plates and cars which lay scattered around the area.

Depending on weather conditions, the work will be finished in September 2004. Since the operation started, tugs and work vessels from the consortium have been providing towage and other support services and acting as 'guard-ships' at the site.