Smit Salvage has been contracted by the underwriters to dismantle the remaining portion of the wreck in a two-stage operation. The stern section, left in place after the forward portion of the ship was separated by means of demolition charges in July of this year, comprises the accommodation block, engine-room, the aftermost hold, propeller and steering gear.

Phase One of the operation, planned to take approximately 60 days, began in earnest during the first week of November with the arrival on site of the crane barge Anna 4. A day or two later a set of giant steel cutting shears arrived by barge from La Rochelle, where they were used in a similar operation to dismantle the wreck of the 'Rokia Delmas' on the French coast. The cutting equipment was put aboard the stern section and had reduced the superstructure to deck level within a week. The cut material was being stored in the aft (no. 7) hold until a barge was available to transport it for recycling.

At the time of writing, a floating sheerlegs, the 'GPS Atlas', had arrived on site to assist in retrieving equipment and relocating the cutting equipment onto a work barge. It is understood that cutting down the upper works and hull will continue but weather conditions in the area during early December were seriously impeding work on site.

Story and photo by Jack Gaston