Zia Ansari explained how Mubarak Marine overcame challenges in salvage and wreck removal projects in the Middle East to Riviera during the 27th ITS Convention, 22 May, in Dubai, UAE.

This interview was conducted after his presentation covering several salvage and wreck removal projects Mubarak Marine has successfully completed despite considerable complexities.

These projects included dealing with a grounded container ship on an island between Iran and UAE, and reacting when an offshore oil and gas production platform was struck by an offshore support vessel.

In the presentation, Mr Ansari outlined the highlights of salvaging grounded container vessel Santa Rosa in 2015. Laden with more than 1,000 containers, 39,000-dwt Santa Rosa grounded at a speed of 14 knots into a shoal off Abu Musa island in the Middle East Gulf.

In addition to the complex salvage operations in a high-speed grounding, Mubarak Marine had to contend with the fact that Abu Musa island is a disputed territory claimed by both Iran and the UAE, and was subject to enhanced scrutiny by both sides in the dispute.

Mr Ansari said the salvage operations were limited in scope. Iranian authorities allowed Mubarak Marine only seven days to attempt to refloat the ship; no vessel used could be UAE-flagged; and salvors had to contend with military firing exercises in the vicinity. Five tugs were used, and on 16 October, on the seventh refloat attempt, the container ship was refloated successfully. 

Another study focused on removing a wellhead oil platform jacket in Iran that was struck by a vessel. This project involved wreck removal, well decommissioning and plugging, preparing the base frame for new jacket installation, and seabed clearance and surveys.

Mr Ansari’s presentation included how to balance owner interests, insurer needs and coastal state priorities, deploying multiple asset types for optimal response and tackling regulatory variances.