In the latest Tricolor incident on the evening of New Years Day, the Turkish cargo vessel Vicky, carrying 70,000 tonnes of highly flammable kerosene, sailed past lighted marker buoys and a French naval vessel in attendance to crash onto the Tricolor.

Fortunately the Vicky was able to refloat herself on the tide in what could have been another major European pollution incident .

Such incidents have led to calls from the British House of Lords for government action to improve safety in busy sea lanes. Lord Greenaway described the busiest part of the Channel as the equivalent of a 'maritime Picadilly'.

Deep Sea and Coastal Pilots' managing director Pat Brooks cited the developing 'bigger ships, tighter schedules and smaller crews' equation as increasing the risk of accidents and added that crews with no previous knowledge of European waters and possibly inadequate language skills are being asked to sail through some of the most congested shipping areas in the world.

'In those circumstances, ' she suggests, 'the likelihood of something going wrong is very high indeed unless they get help. Whilst there is currently no legislation forcing shipping companies to use specialist pilot services, the increasing concerns over standards within the industry means it makes sense in both commercial and safety terms.'

Meanwhile, SMIT Salvage was contracted to provide emergency assistance to the Tricolor and mobilised its pontoon lift barge Asian Hercules II to the scene. Some 700 tonnes of fuel oil was pumped into large receiving tanks onboard Asian Hercules II and transported to a bunker station in Zeebrugge.

The ongoing process of oil removal involves drilling holes in the Tricolor's hull utilising the 'hot-tap' technology which ensures spill-free extraction of oil from submerged vessels.

MJInformation No: 17841