Salvage round-up

Finland-based, ISU member Alfons Håkans has successfully refloated the 101m barge Trias following its grounding on a protected Natura 2000 area in Latvia. The barge ran aground near Ventspils after its towline to a tug parted and Alfons Håkans was contracted to salve the barge whereby salvage master Pekka Arasola along with tugs Thor and Poseidon were dispatched to the scene.

Because of temperate winter weather, conditions had been extremely windy on the Baltic Sea and with the coast area of Latvia exposed to south westerly winds the salvage was described as “demanding” and minimising environmental impact a priority. The barge was refloated successfully and towed to Riga to be handed back to its owners with no damage or environmental impact reported.

The story of the removal of the wreck of the capsized and beached vehicle carrier Golden Ray is one that will run as they say. The vessel, loaded with around 4,200 vehicles grounded and capsized while leaving Port of Brunswick and initial efforts after rescuing the crew was protection of the environment while also addressing the conundrum of how to remove the wreck.

A Unified Command was established and an operation headed by Donjon-Smit safely removed over 300,000 gallons of potential pollutants and the plan is to cut the wreck up in-situ, work also involving construction of a containment barrier around the wreck.

A wreck recovery operation with a difference has taken place in Rostock after two mobile harbour cranes fell into the sea during an operation to transfer them to a heavy-lift vessel. While not ‘vessels’ as such the cranes contained potential pollutants and the port authority and outside contractors worked swiftly to minimise the effects. Hebo Maritime Service’s floating crane Hebo Lift 9 was part of the response which subsequently completed removal of the cranes from the seabed.

Malayan Towage and Salvage Corporation (MTSC) recently joined forces with co-salvor Smit Salvage to refloat the chemical tanker Chemitech which had run aground near Bolinao in the Philippines. Another news item from MTSC has reported that its 4,000bhp tug Vigilant has been contracted by Nippon Salvage to support towage of the fire-damaged Diamond Highway from Subic Bay to Cebu.

By Peter Barker