Salvage round-up

Figures for 2019 report a slight fall in number of services with gross revenues showing a slight gain and Lloyd’s Open Form revenues at an historic low. Ship and cargo sourced pollution may attract media attention but when pollution is avoided and lives along with property saved such work rarely attracts the interest of mainstream media.

As this reflection of recent incidents is being compiled, two potentially polluting casualties either have or are being concluded with involvement of Smit Salvage who report ‘a busy period … in challenging times’ the Rotterdam-based salvor completing two successful container vessel rescue tows in the Atlantic and a salvage team assisting a container vessel which suffered a cargo hold explosion while off South Africa.

When the bulker Asian Pearl IV laden with 30,000t of sugar grounded in Indonesia, Smit along with local partner Samudera Salvage facilitated discharge of 3,500t of cargo allowing refloating and back-loading of cargo before redelivery to its owner.

Urgent tug assistance was requested when strong winds pushed the drifting VLCC Yuan Hua Ha towards shore off Eastern Cape of South Africa. In an operation involving Smit’s long-term partners AMSOL, tugs Smit Siyanda and Pacific Dolphin were tasked, the former to hold the casualty until the more powerful Pacific Dolphin arrived with a salvage master and additional equipment. The VLCC’s anchor held the ship just 0.7NM off the coast with Smit Siyanda connected to its stern whereafter Pacific Dolphin towed the disabled ship to Durban.

Salvage operations can be protracted affairs and a 43-day operation was concluded safely when Resolve Marine, along with its partners refloated the general cargo vessel Kaami laden with 1,900t of solid recovered fuel pellets following grounding on rocks off the Isle of Skye, Scotland.

STRANDED
Resolve teams from Europe, Africa and the US were mobilised to the vessel stranded on an exposed rock pinnacle amid strong currents and a 5m tidal range allowing just a few hours working between tides. Sixty-three tonnes of bunker fuel were removed followed by the cargo which posed a significant environmental threat whereafter a combination of patches and compressed air helped refloat Kaami which was towed to Kishorn on the Scottish mainland.

Elsewhere, in sub-zero temperatures Resolve Alaska assisted a mining barge aground in shallow waters off Nome Harbour. Ice thawing operations were commenced and excavators, welding equipment and pumps transported to the site allowing lightening of the barge so it could be cut out of the ice. Warmer weather transformed the vessel from ice-bound to stranded on a sandy beach and roller bags were used to pull it to a safe landing.

Tsavliris has again been active globally including a 24 week, 6,500nm tow when a laden bulk carrier reported rudder damage while in the Suez Canal. A salvage team carried out an underwater inspection and the tug Thor 1 towed the vessel to Indonesia, a stern tug and armed guards utilised in the Red Sea. Following cargo discharge, the tug Triton Arjuna towed the casualty to Singapore for re-delivery.

Still in Indonesia, Tsavliris assisted the bulker Edelweiss which grounded laden with 71,000t of coal. After stabilising the vessel, 10,000t of cargo was offloaded and it was refloated and escorted to Kotabaru for cargo reloading ending a 10-week operation.

PIRACY HOT-SPOT
Tsavliris dispatched the tug Hercules when an engine room fire was reported on the bulker Maran Ocean laden with 108,500t of iron ore in a piracy high-risk area east of Djibouti. The fire was extinguished by the ship’s crew and the vessel towed to Duqm, Oman.

Other operations with Tsavliris’ involvement saw the bulker Lila Tokyo towed to Panama by the tug Nicole Foss after being disabled 800nm SW of Los Angeles, while in Argentina the bulker Lady 1 loaded with maize was refloated following grounding in the Parana River.

Tanker casualties pose particular environmental threats and two incidents resolved by Tsavliris include the 5,850dwt C Rock disabled (in ballast) east of Crete and the Ghetty Bottiglieri laden with 34,000t of mixed aromatics disabled east of Socotra Island in the Arabian Sea. Tugs Pantokrator and Gladiator were despatched to each vessel which were towed to Drapetsona (Piraeus) and Fujairah, UAE respectively.

By Peter Barker