Marine Link
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Salvage

Marine salvage is the process of rescuing a ship, its cargo, or other property from peril. Salvage encompasses rescue towing, putting out fires, patching or repairing a ship, refloating a sunken or grounded vessel, moving a disabled vessel in order to clear navigation channels, and raising sunken ships or their cargo. Equipment involved in salvage operations may include cranes, floating dry docks, and support vessels (such as tugboats). Commercial divers may be called upon to perform underwater tasks and monitor progress below the surface.

Protecting the marine environment from pollution from cargoes such as oil or other contaminants is often an important part of salvage activities. Usually the vessel or valuable parts of the vessel or its cargo may be recovered for its resale value, or for scrap. The vast majority of salvage operations are contracted to qualified seamen and engineers working as professional salvors. Usually, contracted agents expect no financial reward unless the salvage operation is at least partially successful.

If salvage is not performed under a contract, then the rescuer must act voluntarily and aside from any legal duty to act, other than the acknowledged duty to render assistance to those in peril at sea or to attend after a collision. If the owner or the owner’s agent is still on the ship, they can refuse offers of assistance. A vessel found entirely deserted or abandoned without hope or intention of recovery is considered derelict and is fair game for anyone who comes across it. It is not true, however, that the rescuer or salvor automatically becomes the owner of the property. The owner always has the option to reclaim his property by paying an appropriate reward.

Tags: Salvage

On March 2 at approximately 2:15 a.m. (Sanaa time), Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier, sank in the Red Sea after being struck by an Iranian-backed Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile on Feb. 18. The ship had been slowly taking on water since the attack. (Photo: U.S. Central Command)

Houthi Attacks Must Ease for Salvage of Two Vessels, IMO Head Says

Efforts to limit environmental damage from a cargo vessel that sank after a Houthi…

(Photo: Office of the Chief Secretary)

Oil Leak from Capsized Barge Off Tobago Stopped After a Month

An oil leak from a barge carrying up to 35,000 barrels of fuel oil that capsized…

(Photo: Office of the Chief Secretary)

Trinidad Government Hires Salvors to Recover Sunken Oil Barge

Trinidad and Tobago has hired two remediation and salvage firms to help clean up…

Blake Powell, President, JMS Naval Architects (Photo: JMS Naval Architects)

Insights: Blake Powell, JMS Naval Architects

Blake Powell, president at JMS Naval Architects, discusses his career, company and…

(Photo: Boluda Towage)

Boluda Acquires Resolve Marine's Gibraltar Operations

Boluda Towage – one of the divisions of Boluda Corporación Marítima that focuses…

Mike Dean (Photo: ASA)

American Salvage Association Names New Executive Director

The American Salvage Association (ASA) announced that Mike Dean has been appointed…

Copyright Björn Wylezich/AdobeStock

Predictability, or “Call your Designated Responder Early and Often”

Predictability is the aim of every human, company, or society.Humanity simply strives…

(Photo: Levi Read / U.S. Coast Guard)

Diesel and Engine Oil Removed from Sunken Tug in California

Petroleum product and hazardous material have been removed from a 1940s era military…

Image courtesy Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.

Salvage Tug Koyo Maru Built for Nippon Salvage

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group company…

Crews work to place and maintain sorbent boom around the Tug Mazapeta on September 7, 2023. Image credit: California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention & Response.

Salvors to Remove Fuel from Sunken Tug in California

Salvors are set to begin removing fuel from a 1940s era military tugboat that sunk…

Source: US Coast Guard

2023 Coast Guard Engineer of the Year Named

Lt. Lena “Lexie” Royster, a mechanical engineer in the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Center…

Source: US Coast Guard

Burning Vessel Diverted to Dutch Harbor, Alaska

The US Coast Guard is continuing to assess a fire reported on the 410-foot general…

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