News

The 'Caledonian Isles' return to service has been pushed back until June 21. Efforts were ongoing to resolve the outstanding issue with pressure levels in the gearbox. The operator ruled out a number of potential root causes over the weekend and requested Kongsberg, the manufacturer, to send a specialist to the vessel to support engineers on board as soon as possible. They have been providing remote support during the past week. Due to the requirement to carry out two days of sea trials when this is fixed, CalMac pushed back the vessel’s return. The 'Glen Sannox' and 'Alfred'will continue to provide a two-vessel service from Troon until then.

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

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

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.

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