Removals and Refloats Occupy SMIT

Beyond the major operation to recover bunkers, discharge containers and prepare to remove the ‘MSC Napoli’ from Branscombe in Devon UK, SMIT teams were engaged in a wide variety of other projects.

These included the recovery of the sunken vessels ‘Mighty Servant 3’ and ‘Nautilus’, both in African waters.

The semi-submersible heavy transport vessel Mighty Servant 3 sank at Luanda, Angola, on 6 December last year. Fortunately, there were no injuries. SMIT responded under a Lloyd’s Form, with SCOPIC invoked. A salvage team was mobilised on the day of the sinking. The first priority was the removal of approximately 400 tons of heavy fuel oil, together with gasoil and lubes. The fuel was pumped to the lightering tanker ‘Mamola Trader’.

During January SMIT was awarded refloating contracts for Mighty Servant 3 and the Nautilus, the latter being a Dutch flag dredger which had capsized at Pointe Noire, Congo. Sadly, in this case three people lost their lives. Bunkers were removed from this casualty by SvitzerWijsmuller.

Work progressed rapidly on plans to execute both parbuckling and refloating contracts. The 1,200 ton lift capacity sheerlegs ‘Taklift 7’, towed by URS tug ‘Banckert’, was redeployed from the Curaçao to Europe as the contract negotiations proceeded. This sheerlegs was held at Las Palmas until the talks concluded. Taklift 7 then proceeded to African waters. By mid-February the sheerlegs arrived in Point Noire, Congo, for the Nautilus operation.

Parbuckling and refloating the 93 m dredger and the subsequent debris removalwas achieved last month. This work was performed in shallow waters, close to the harbour entrance at Pointe Noire. The casualty was rotated from its fully inverted condition.

January also saw the completion of an operation involving another large dredger, the cutter ‘Al Khattab’, which had sunk in the Suez Canal. It was parbuckled in a two month operation, using the Tito Neri sheerlegs ‘Italia’.

Following the Nautilus assignment, Taklift 7 departed on 24 March for a two day voyage to Luanda, some 250 miles south of Pointe Noire, to commence work on the refloating of Mighty Servant 3, which was in deeper water at 55m.

Work was continuing on scene at the time of writing. The vessel is to be refloated by a combination of lifting and pressurisation (using Mighty Servant 3’s own ballast system). The vessel will be first raised at the bow and then stabilised. The sheerlegs will then connect to the stern and commence lifting, as tanks are pressurised to achieve a controlled refloating. This will be followed by CORREX preservation treatment in the engine room. Subsequently, Mighty Servant 3 will be refurbished and returned to service.

Other SMIT activities in the first quarter included the wreck removal of the general cargo vessel ‘Twin Star’ at Callao, Peru. The operation is expected to conclude this month. The vessel became a casualty last year and SMIT secured a Lloyd’s Form. Subsequently, the Twin Star broke in two. Work began with the recovery of the cargo of steel coils, with the removal plan based on refloating the hull in two sections. The sheerlegs ‘SMIT Cyclone’ has been mobilised for this task. This crane has a lift capacity of 1,000 tons.

This month, SMIT is due to resume wreck/debris clearance in the Gulf of Mexico, in the extended programme relating to the damage caused to offshore platforms and rigs by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The latest phase of work will continue to concentrate on the recovery of leg sections and other site clearance works. The 800 tons lift capacity ‘Taklift 1’ will be joined by a second sheerlegs as this work progresses.