The barge owners engaged Titan Maritime to undertake salvage operation and Titan immediately mobilised Smit Maritime's 1,100bhp tug Elspeth and 6,000hp Elspeth II out of Green Cove Springs. A Salvage Master was sent via chartered aircraft to conduct an onsite assessment of the casualty and a salvage team with portable equipment was mobilised overland from Titan's depot 280 miles south in Fort Lauderdale.

Adverse winds and seas prevented the tugs and salvors from approaching and boarding the barge from either side. A crane barge with spuds was quickly chartered and mobilised to serve as a work platform on the lee of the breakwater, allowing for the safe transfer of personnel and equipment to the casualty. The onsite assessment at low water indicated that the barge had sustained significant structural damage and breached all six port side voids.

Based on the damage assessment, Titan's naval architect modelled the hull and rapidly determined that the barge would only survive damage to four out of the six port side voids. Part of the salvage team proceeded to rig the void tanks for compressed air blow down while the others prepared the towing connections and made up floating hawsers which the shallow draft Elspeth would messenger out to the Elspeth II about 1.5 cables away.

Once the US Coast Guard had approved Titan's salvage plan, final preparations for the refloating effort were completed and the team proceeded to apply compressed air and make up the tugs. To further reduce the ground reaction, the team rigged a four inch pump to counter ballast the No 2 void starboard. Weather forecasts calling for gale force winds and 20ft seas shortened the window of opportunity to 24 hours.

Less than 24 hours after the grounding, the Titan team successfully refloated the barge on a rising tide with all port side voids under air. The Elspeth proceeded to tow the barge to safety and seven hours later moored it at the Blount Island cargo terminal, where the cargo was quickly discharged. The barge was then shifted to the Atlantic Drydock for emergency repairs where it was redelivered to its owners.

MJInformation No: 20235