Fathoms, a Somerset based salvage and subsea service provider, was awarded a contract to salve the vessel on a standard no cure, no pay basis and deliver it to a safe haven for lifting and subsequent inspection and investigation. An initial dive was carried out to provide a full video inspection of the vessel as it lay on the seabed in 23m of water.

For the recovery, Fathoms used its multi-purpose catamaran  MPV Teal, which  is equipped with a full diving spread and precise positioning as well as a large 10 ton A-frame. The vessel was moored over the site and two lifting strops secured to Alpha Beta. Air bags were then secured to these strops. The vessel was raised in a double lift operation using both open and closed bags. The stricken vessel was then beached alongside Teal to enable pumping out to be completed.

Following the successful lift, Fathoms’ team investigated the cause of the sinking and effected temporary repairs for the necessary tow. This involved the combination of engineering skills, classic seamanship and diving expertise

On re-floating, a tow was rigged and qualified crew embarked in Alpha Beta for the tow down through the scenic Sound of Mull and final delivery to owners’ representatives at the Marine Resource Centre in Loch Creran.