Grounded Dutch barge refloated on Sunday

After initial attempts by local tugs to refloat the barge had proved to be unsuccessful, Multraship was contracted on November 25 under a Lloyd’s Open Form 2000 agreement incorporating SCOPIC. Multraship immediately mobilised the equipment

and

personnel needed to discharge part of the barge’s cargo of 24,000 tons of rocks.The aft section of the barge had sunk deep into a s

and

bank,

and

some 12,000 tonnes of cargo was discharged by excavator onto the

Multrabarge

II,

Wagenborg Barge I

and

Charlie Rock, which vessels were then towed into the port of Eemshaven

and

the rocks discharged onto the quayside. Throughout the unloading operation, the Stema Barge II was kept steady aground by means of controlled pressurisation

and

ballasting of its tanks

and

void spaces.

Leendert Muller, managing director of Multraship said, ‘What might under other circumstances have been a comparatively straightforward salvage operation was complicated in this case by the fact that the extremely shallow water in which the barge had grounded meant that it was difficult to find suitable tugs

and

salvage craft to bring

and

keep alongside the grounded barge. There was also a severe groundswell, which delayed operations on a number of occasions. We mobilised a great deal of equipment

and

had a salvage team working around the clock. About sixty people, including a salvage master

and

supervisors, naval architects, divers

and

riggers were employed in the rescue operation, working aboard six salvage craft/tugs, three fast launches,

and

three barges.’

The barge was refloated on December 7

and

towed into Eemshaven, where cargo discharge continued

and

inspections got under way.