After several failed salvage attempts with a push boat, the work to refloat the ' Fairplay' has been halted. On June 16, a dredger will be brought alongside in order to lighter part of the cargo of iron ore, originating from Rotterdam, until the vessel can be successfully moved. During these works, the Danube will be barred for ship traffic at Regensburg. There was, however, a slight hope that the water level of the river may rise a bit on June 15 due to expected rainfalls. Report with photo: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/regensburg-schiff-donau-fracht-li.3269083
News
EAGLE S
Finnish prosecutors are considering pressing charges against three senior officers the 'Eagle S', which is suspected of damaging undersea power and telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea, police and the prosecutor said on June 13, after the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation has concluded its investigation into the damage. The three senior officers were suspected of aggravated criminal mischief and interference with telecommunications. All three crew denied any wrongdoing. A lawyer for tj3 United Arab Emirates-based Caravella LLC FZ, the owner of the 'Eagle S', said he could not comment on behalf of the crew as he does not represent them. He had previously said the ship’s alleged damage to undersea equipment happened outside of Finland’s territorial waters and therefore Helsinki lacked jurisdiction to intervene.
WAN HAI 503
On June 13, a helicopter of the Indian Navy successfully undertook aerial insertion of a salvage team onboard the 'Wan Hai 503'. The three men salvage team, which embarked a Seaking helicopter at Garuda, Kochi, was winched down amidst challenging weather & sea conditions, and ongoing fire onboard. The salvage team connected the tow with the Salvage Tug 'Offshore Warrior', after which it was successfully extracted again by the Naval helicopter. The towing operations of the vessel has commenced. The INS 'Sharda' and the OSV 'Triton Liberty' were actively engaged with the Indian Coast Guard and other maritime agencies to augument the salvage operations. The vessel has been towed 40 nautical miles away from land on June 14 by the tugs 'Garnett', ''Water Lily' and ' Ocean Warrior'. There was concern regarding a building storm that could drive wind speeds to 50 to 60 mph over the weekend, with the southwest winds gaining strength. With the majority of the cargo incinerated, the vessel is lighter and has increased in speed. Report with photos: https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/accidents/salvors-board-still-burning-wan-hai-503
MSC BALTIC III
The salvage teams working at the site of the 'MSC Baltic III' were continuing to make progress, while it remains an ongoing operation that is expected to take time. Weather which had been a factor during the winter and early spring has improved giving the teams easier access to the vessel. In addition, one of the local mayors reported a light vehicle road was expected to be completed this week to give access for personnel into the remote area on the western shore of Newfoundland. The road is not for the removal of material from the ship. The container removal has also given the teams more access including to fuel tanks that they have so far not been able to reach. Approximately half of the heavy fuel has been removed in a process of heating it and pumping it to storage tanks placed on the deck of the vessel. It is then pumped into tanks on a barge and moved to Corner Brook where it is being loaded onto other MSC vessels. The Coast Guard estimates the vessel had approximately 1,600 metric tons of heavy fuel and marine gas oil onboard. The 'Eems Dublin', an open hatch vessel, has provided a walk-to-work platform to reach the 'MSC Baltic III'. Also a crane vehicle has been put on the vessel that is being used to hoist containers from the 'MSC Baltic III' to the deck of the 'Eems Dublin'. As of June 13, over half the fuel from the main fuel tanks onboard the ship have been removed. 14 more containers were also removed with six of them having spoiled food products. Report with photo: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/salvage-teams-making-progress-removing-boxes-and-fuel-from-msc-baltic-iii
MSC ELSA 3
The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) on June 13 said that capping and plugging of all identified fuel oil tanks of the 'MSC Elsa' has been completed, and there was no evidence of oil leakage in the vicinity of the wreck. The oil containment measures have temporarily stabilised the situation, but a full risk mitigation will happen only on successful commencement of saturation diving to extract the remaining trapped fuel oil from the vessel. Delays in mobilisation of saturation diving equipment have already shifted the initial operational timelines. Hot tapping and oil extraction will take around 24 days, weather permitting. The DGS has directed the salvors to submit two revised schedules, one optimistic, assuming good weather, and one realistic, accounting for monsoon disruptions. Efforts to recover the Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) were not yet successful. The diving operations for it will continue. The 'Seamac III', from which the divers were working, has returned to Kochi for conversion to saturation diving operations. Which was expected to take three days. The Marine Emergency Response Centre (MERC) has reported that 58 containers have been delivered to port with one small container piece recovered during the day and the hydraulic oil barrels have also been secured. The nurdle recovery was continuing, but was taking time as more of it is being deposited on shores due to wave action. A beach-cleaning vacuum unit from Bengaluru was en route for field trials. The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) has recommended further increasing volunteer deployment to accelerate shoreline recovery. Meanwhile, the MERC continued to maintain daily site-wise cleanup activities across affected districts.d