Salvage: wreck removals and refloatings in Q1 2023

Smit emergency responses

Smit Salvage had a busy start to 2023, working on eight emergency response and wreck removal projects worldwide. It was tasked with refloating a grounded 82,000-dwt bulk carrier laden with soy in Sao Francisco do Sul, Brazil. 

Smit says the main challenge consisted of “dealing with the strong and highly unpredictable tides and currents, which were well managed by the overall co-ordination of the Smit salvage master and team on board.” 

After several days, this vessel was successfully refloated using six local harbour tugs during high tide. 

In Indonesia, Smit assisted a coal-laden 54,000 dwt bulk carrier that had suffered water ingress via the sea chest while crew conducted repairs off South Kalimantan.

The engineroom flooded and the crew pumped oily water into various ballast tanks. A Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) was signed, enabling Smit to mobilise a salvage team and specialist craft and equipment. 

“The sources of the leak were patched, and oily water was offloaded to a tanker and subsequently disposed of in an environmental-friendly way,” says Smit. The vessel was stabilised and later safely redelivered to its owners. 

Off northeast Australia, Smit assisted a stranded 180,000-dwt bulk carrier laden with coal during its voyage to Singapore. Boskalis’ oceangoing tug Boka Summit towed this ship almost 5,000 nautical miles during its salvage.

During scheduled repairs at an anchorage in northeast Australia, there were problems and the casualty’s engineroom filled with water. After conducting an initial survey, the flaw was soon found: one of the valves was leaking. 

Smit was hired to seal the hole on the inside so the water could be safely pumped from the engineroom to a ballast tank. For this, the bulk carrier was towed for more than 40 days to Singapore for the necessary final repair work by Smit in co-operation with the tugs and personnel from Boskalis and Smit Lamnalco.

Other salvage projects

In December 2022, Resolve Marine mobilised its tug Resolve Commander from Freeport, Bahamas to assist a stricken general cargo vessel which was taking on water near Abaco Island, Bahamas. 

By the next day, the situation had deteriorated and an LOF agreement was signed with SCOPIC invoked. Resolve subsequently mobilised its 92 m x 30 m salvage crane barge and additional salvage equipment from its Fort Lauderdale, Florida response base and safely removed all hydrocarbons on board. 

In Colombia, Resolve Marine was hired when a fishing vessel caught fire and sank off the coast of Buenaventura. Resolve was contracted by the P&I Club and its consultants to assist in removing the hydrocarbons on board and worked with its local partner. Resolve says there were tough diving conditions including high currents and near-zero visibility to remove the hydrocarbons remaining on board. 

In January 2023, Multraship Salvage & Towage was mobilised to assist oil tanker Torm Signe after it ran aground at a speed of about 12 knots on the Western Scheldt upstream from Terneuzen. 

The tanker had turned hard starboard to avoid a barge which had lost power and was not under command and ran aground. It needed tug assistance to come off the sandbank. 

Multraship and Boluda jointly mobilised tugs immediately and the master accepted help promptly. The casualty was pushed and pulled by Multraship heavy lift and refloating operations, needing nine tugs in total. Torm Signe was refloated 2.5 hours before low water and escort and standby services were provided. 

Also in January, cargo ship Neophyte grounded on a breakwater in the river Scheldt near Antwerp just after high water. It could not be refloated on the same tide because of precarious circumstances. 

Tug Echo and fast rescue vessel Multraship Rescue 2 were mobilised immediately along with a salvage master and salvage equipment. A salvage plan was developed in close co-operation with the owners and insurers. 

Oil booms and pumps were mobilised in case of a leak, spill or oil pollution but were not required. Neophyte was refloated, inspected and redelivered to the owners. 

Nippon Salvage assisted a stricken LNG carrier off Japan in February 2023. Its salvage tug Koyo Maru was mobilised to assist this fully laden 105,101-gt ship after it suffered main engine problems followed by a blackout off Kashiwazaki, Niigata, Japan.

When this LNG carrier drifted towards the coast, a Japan Coast Guard patrol vessel connected its towline to the casualty to prevent it from grounding. On 23 February, Koyo Maru arrived, connected its towline and towed the casualty away from the coast. Four days later, the casualty restored its power and Koyo Maru escorted the LNG carrier for about a week until the ship safely entered the discharge port.

Nippon Salvage was also involved in the salvage of a 75-gt fishing vessel at Tsushima Island, Nagasaki, Japan, December 2022. It dispatched salvage tug Koyo Maru to the site to prepare to refloat the fishing vessel. These operations were hampered by adverse weather conditions, but salvors patched and dewatered the fishing vessel and Koyo Maru towed the casualty to safety in early January 2023. 

Riviera Maritime Media’s TUGTECHNOLOGY returns 21-23 May 2023 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Use this link for further information and to register your interest