EMERALD EXPRESS

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Latest news

Emerald Express rolled back to sea

The "Emerald Express" has been refloated after three months ashore on Crooked Island after having been pushed inlands by the hurricane on Oct 1 with 135 mph winds. The storm surge was so deep that she passed over reefs and mangroves without trouble until they got into shallow water all the way to the other side of Lovely Bay where the ship beached at the edge of Horse Pond in a mangrove swamp. Four of her eight crew remained aboard after the stranding to keep an eye on her, and operator G-G Marine dispatched officials and equipment to help with the salvage. The Bahamas Electricity Corporation also contributed to the effort by widening six miles of roadway to haul the vessel overland. Officials from the operator arrived on Crooked Island two weeks after Joaquin to start the process of relaunching the vessel. Shortly after their first assessment representatives of the owners suggested that existing roadways would have to be widened to allow for the boat to be returned to the sea. In early November heavy equipment operators started the dredging of a six-mile roadway space to connect Horse Pond, where the boat had been stranded, to an existing shallow pond which streams into the waters of Lovely Bay. After the dredging of the canal, special was lifted onto heavy inflatable rubber tubes and heavy machinery were used to haul the vessel over the six miles with labourers creating a moving line of airbags along the way. The "Emerald Express" was pulled by a large Caterpillar bulldozer. The barge ten had to be floated carefully in six feet of water for another 15 miles until it made its way out to sea. She was then refloated and carefully navigated the remaining 15 miles back out to sea. Report with photo and video: http://www.tribune242.com/news/2015/dec/21/ship-stranded-miles-inland-hurricane-relaunched/

Hurricane pushed landing craft 21 miles inwards

The "Emerald Express" was actually still resting 21 miles inland to Horse Pond, Crooked Island, after having been caught in the hurricane Joaquin on Oct 1, 2015. They were thrown up on the shallow creek at Lovely Bay, in which the water had risen to such a height that they thought that they were still on the high seas. The ship was pushed into a mangrove swamp on its way from Great Inagua to Fort Lauderdale. Four out of eight crew were still being on board. Salvage was due to start on Nov 12. Taking the landing craft back to sea will take a month or so. The Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) was engaged to carry out the salvage. Report with photo and video: http://www.tribune242.com/news/2015/nov/11/ship-beached-after-hurricane-joaquin/