Emergency towage tugs and salvors helped 224 ships in 2018, with a 40% rise in crude and refined oil and 31% hike in container pollution prevented
Salvors prevented around 3.2M tonnes of pollutants from entering the marine environment from 224 salvage operations in 2018. This was a 6% reduction from pollutants recovered in 2017, which was 3.4M tonnes from 252 operations. This is according to a survey carried out by the International Salvage Union (ISU) and is an indicator of the sector's success.
There was a sharp rise in tonnage of crude oil and containers, 59% of the total, prevented from polluting the maritime environment in 2018. This indicates the types of distressed ships salvors were required to save, including a rise in container ship incidents.
“We aim to save life, to save property and mitigate loss but our members’ operations also protect the environment from great harm,” says ISU president Charo Coll.
ISU members salvaged tankers carrying 1.3M tonnes of crude oil and refined oil products, up almost 40% from 933,198 tonnes in 2017 reflecting a rise in the number and cargo volume of distressed tankers requiring salvage towage in 2018.
Another growing trend is the number of distressed container ships and the amount of cargo they carry. ISU’s survey revealed an increase in containers involved in salvage cases, rising from 45,655 TEU in 2017 to 59,874 TEU in 2018. This increased the tonnage of prevented container pollutants from by 31%, from 684,825 tonnes in 2017 up to 898,100 tonnes in 2018 based on a nominal 15 tonnes per TEU.
Ms Coll explains that swift action by tug operators has improved salvage operations and prevented ships carrying potential pollutants from causing harm to the maritime environment.
“Some cases will have been with limited peril, but many others will have carried a real danger of substantial environmental damage,” she says. “One major incident can cause an environmental catastrophe with huge financial and reputational consequences.” She stressed the importance of salvors to international shipping.
“One major incident can cause an environmental catastrophe with huge financial and reputational consequences”
“It is essential there continues to be global provision of professional salvage services to respond professionally to maritime emergencies and that needs appropriate compensation,” she says.
The volume of bulk cargoes salvaged by ISU members declined 47% from 1,418,344 in 2017 to 743,100 tonnes in 2018. This category includes coal, scrap steel, grains, soya and cement. ISU members also provided services to bulkers carrying 497,973 tonnes of non-hazardous dry bulk – mainly metal ores – in 2018, but these are not included as potential pollutants.
There was an 18% fall in salvaged bunker fuel in 2018 – at 111,796 tonnes this was down from 135,995 tonnes the previous year. ISU says this fall could be because the quantity of bunkers on the vessel, or the cargo type, was not always noted within the total recorded.
2018 salvage has boosted the tonnage of potential pollutants ISU members have prevented through their swift intervention to more than 31.4M tonnes since 1994, when the survey was first conducted by the ISU.
Downturn in LOF
Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) was used in 33 salvage operations of the 224 services provided by ISU members in 2018. Towage contracts accounted for 61 services, the Japanese salvage form was used 38 times, day rate contracts 33 times and variants of wreck removal contracts were used in 26 services. Separately, Lloyd’s of London reported LOFs were used in 53 salvage projects in 2018.
LOF salvage contracts provide the appropriate compensation ISU members ideally require to cover costs for attending maritime emergencies, but shipping and insurance industries seldom use them now.
“A need to ensure there is sufficient reward to salvors to sustain their business for essential emergency response services”
Ms Coll does not anticipate a return to the wider use of LOF. She stresses the need for ensuring “there is sufficient reward to salvors to sustain their business for essential emergency response services” adding that salvors “need to invest in people, vessels and equipment”.
Five-year trends
Since 2014, there has been a rise in container tonnage salvaged from below 400,000 tonnes in 2014-2016 to almost 900,000 tonnes in 2018. This year's total is likely to be higher because of the recent spat of container ship fires.
Another trend is last year's leap in crude oil pollutants prevented from entering the marine environment at 978,000 tonnes compared with less than 800,000 tonnes in 2017, around 400,000 tonnes in 2015 and less than 200,000 tonnes in 2014.
The amount of bunkers and chemicals salvaged by ISU members has remained relatively constant during the last five years. Bulk products, which include coal, scrap steel, grains, soya and cement, has remained steady at around 600,000-800,000 tonnes apart from a sharp rise in 2017 to more than 1.4M tonnes.
ISU Pollution Prevention Survey Results (tonnes) | |||
2018 | 2017 | % change | |
Number of services | 224 | 252 | -11.1 |
Bunker fuel | 111,796 | 135,995 | -17.8 |
Crude oil | 978,000 | 798,620 | 22.5 |
Refined oil products | 324,988 | 134,488 | 141.6 |
Chemicals | 127,885 | 168,784 | -24.2 |
Bulk pollutants | 743,100 | 1,418,344 | -47.6 |
Containers (tonnes) | 898,110 | 684,825 | 31.1 |
Containers (TEU) | 59,874 | 45,655 | 31.1 |
Other products | 29,349 | 64,421 | -54.4 |
Totals | 3,213,228 | 3,405,477 | -5.6 |
Percentage of 2018 pollution prevention
Crude oil: 31%
Containers: 28%
Bulk: 23%
Oil products: 10%
Bunkers: 4%
Chemicals: 4%
Percentage of contracts for ISU members (2018)
Towage contracts: 27%
Commercial contracts: 17%
Japan contract: 17%
Lloyd's Open Form: 15%
Wreck removal: 12%
Other: 12%
Snapshot CV: Charo Coll
With more than 25 years of salvage experience, Charo Coll is the current president of the International Salvage Union. She is general manager of the offshore and salvage division of Spanish company Boluda Corporación Marítima. Ms Coll spent 15 years co-ordinating the Boluda Tugs engagement with the Spanish Maritime Safety Agency. She also manages the chartering and sales and purchase departments of the corporation.
Ms Coll is a former president of the European Tug Owners’ Association. She holds a specialist degree in international maritime law from the Comillas Pontifical University of Madrid and a shipmanagement diploma from the National Sea Training Centre in the UK.
© 2023 Riviera Maritime Media Ltd.