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Monday, March 18, 2024
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Salvage News

18 Mar 2024

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

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)

Efforts to limit environmental damage from a cargo vessel that sank after a Houthi missile strike and another abandoned during a fiery assault are on hold until attacks on ships ease, the United Nations' maritime shipping regulatory agency said on Monday.The UK-owned Rubymar last month became the first vessel lost since the Houthis began targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea area in November. The bulk carrier with 21,000 metric tons of fertiliser contained in its cargo hold…

07 Mar 2024

Oil Leak from Capsized Barge Off Tobago Stopped After a Month

(Photo: Office of the Chief Secretary)

An oil leak from a barge carrying up to 35,000 barrels of fuel oil that capsized in early February off the Caribbean island of Tobago has stopped, said the twin islands' government on Thursday.The spill, which was first spotted off the coast of Tobago's Atlantic coast on Feb. 7, damaged some of the island's mangrove and threatened its tourism and fishing sector. The spill also entered the Caribbean Sea, threatening nearby Venezuela and Caribbean islands, including Bonaire."The hydrocarbon discharge emanating from the overturned vessel located off the coast of Tobago has stopped…

04 Mar 2024

Fire Caused by Blasts Breaks Out on Ship Southeast of Aden

© Maciej Olszewski / Adobe Stock

A fire caused by nearby explosions broke out onboard a vessel southeast of the Yemeni port city of Aden on Monday, before being contained, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency and British security firm Ambrey reported."The Master reports the fire onboard has been extinguished and that the crew are all safe. Coalition Forces are responding," UKMTO said in a recent update on the incident.It later added that the vessel was clear of the area and was proceeding to its…

21 Feb 2024

Ship Hit by Missiles and Abandoned in Red Sea Faces Unknown Fate

© Eugene / Adobe Stock

A cargo ship abandoned four days ago in the Gulf of Aden after it was hit by missiles fired by Yemen's Houthis is still floating despite taking in water, and could be towed to nearby Djibouti, industry sources said on Wednesday.Shipping risks have escalated due to repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait by the Iran-aligned Houthis since November. U.S. and British forces have responded with several strikes on Houthi facilities but have so far failed to halt the attacks.The crew of the Belize-flagged Rubymar abandoned the vessel after it was hit on Sunday…

20 Feb 2024

Trinidad Government Hires Salvors to Recover Sunken Oil Barge

(Photo: Office of the Chief Secretary)

Trinidad and Tobago has hired two remediation and salvage firms to help clean up an ongoing oil spill off Tobago and salvage the leaking barge, the country's Ministry of Energy said on Tuesday.It has been almost two weeks since the oil spill was first discovered off Tobago's Atlantic coast after a barge ran aground on a reef. The spill has entered the Caribbean Sea, threatening nearby Venezuela and Grenada."An international partnership comprised of T&T Salvage LLC and QT Environmental Inc…

13 Feb 2024

Sunken Ship Spilling Oil in Trinidad and Tobago

(Photo: Office of the Chief Secretary)

First responders and volunteers from Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday sought to contain an oil spill detected last week in the Caribbean country's waters and clean areas of Tobago island's coast already affected by the incident.Trinidad and Tobago's coast guard first spotted the spill on Feb. 7, about 6 kilometers off the coast of Studley Park, the chief secretary of Tobago's national assembly, Farley Augustine, said in a press conference on Sunday.Barriers have been installed to contain the spill…

07 Feb 2024

Boluda Acquires Resolve Marine's Gibraltar Operations

(Photo: Boluda Towage)

Boluda Towage – one of the divisions of Boluda Corporación Marítima that focuses its activity on port, coastal, and offshore towage, as well as maritime salvage – has acquired the towage company Resolve Salvage and Fire (Gibraltar) Ltd.Resolve Salvage and Fire, owned by Resolve Marine Group, provides towing and marine salvage services as well as in engineering and maintenance projects for marine installations and construction. Two divisions are part of the sale: the company's harbor towing operations and fleet were sold to Boluda Towage Europe…

02 Feb 2024

American Salvage Association Names New Executive Director

Mike Dean (Photo: ASA)

The American Salvage Association (ASA) announced that Mike Dean has been appointed Executive Director. In this role, Dean is responsible for providing strategic leadership and direction to the organization and ensuring that ASA’s mission and objectives are achieved. He oversees day-to-day operations, financial management, government affairs, working committees and ASA staff. Dean reports to ASA’s president, Joseph Farrell, III and works closely with ASA’s Executive Committee.Dean is an industry veteran…

23 Jan 2024

Passenger Ferry Grounds Near Maui

© IBRESTER / Adobe Stock

A passenger ferry has run aground near the entrance to Maui's Maalaea Harbor, the U.S. Coast Guard said. At 5:05 a.m. on Monday, Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watchstanders received notification from the 55-foot ferry Expeditions Five, which had run aground with three crew members on board.Watchstanders issued an urgent marine broadcast to mariners and dispatched a 29-foot Response Boat-small crew from Station Maui. The Station Maui crew confirmed that the vessel was hard aground…

18 Jan 2024

Diesel and Engine Oil Removed from Sunken Tug in California

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

Petroleum product and hazardous material have been removed from a 1940s era military tugboat that sunk in California, the U.S. Coast Guard said.A Unified Command and its contractors completed lightering efforts from the tug Mazapeta, Wednesday.The Mazapeta sunk September 4, 2023, in Little Potato Slough within the San Joaquin Delta, northwest of Stockton, with approximately 1,600 gallons of diesel and engine oil reported to be onboard at the time of the incident.Quantification of recovered product is ongoing…

10 Jan 2024

Salvors to Remove Fuel from Sunken Tug in California

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 are set to begin removing fuel from a 1940s era military tugboat that sunk in California last year, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Mazapeta sunk September 4, 2023, in Little Potato Slough within the San Joaquin Delta, northwest of Stockton, Calif. with approximately 1,600 gallons of diesel and engine oil were reported onboard at the time of the incident.To date approximately 593 gallons of petroleum product have been recovered from inside the containment boom area, which surrounds the sunken tug.

31 Oct 2023

Grounded Cargo Ship Refloated in the Caribbean

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A cargo ship that ran aground off St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands earlier this month has been refloated and towed to a safe mooring location at the Crown Bay Sandfill dock, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Vessel owners and salvors will now coordinate further operations to remove the damaged cargo, remaining oil and conduct further salvage or repair operations for the Bonnie G.The Vanuatu-flagged vessel began taking on water and ran aground on October 4, leading the 12 people on board to be rescued after abandoning ship. No injuries were reported.To refloat the Bonnie G, DonJon-SMIT, Inc.

07 Nov 2023

US-flagged Laker Grounds in the St. Clair River

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A U.S. registered laker ran aground in the St. Clair River near Marine City, Mich. on Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard said it was notified at 7:21 a.m. that the 617-foot-long vessel American Courage grounded with a cargo of 20,000 tons of stone on board. No injuries or pollution have been reported.The river remains open to navigation, though a marine safety broadcast has been issued urging mariners to use caution while transiting the area.The Coast Guard said it is coordinating with the vessel's owner—Traverse City…

14 Sep 2023

Cruise Ship Pulled Free After Running Aground in Greenland

(Photo: Danish Armed Forces)

A luxury cruise ship that ran aground this week in a remote part of Greenland with 206 people on board was pulled free by a fishing trawler on Thursday.The Ocean Explorer cruise vessel had been stuck since Monday in mud and silt in the Alpefjord national park, some 1,400 km (870 miles) northeast of Greenland's capital Nuuk."We have just successfully become free now. ...

07 Jan 2024

Air Circulation Begins on Genius Star XI

Source: US Coast Guard

An air circulation operation has begun on the 410-foot general cargo vessel Genius Star XI which is currently at anchor off Dutch Harbor, Alaska.The vessel, carrying lithium-ion batteries, caught fire on Christmas Day. In response, the crew released carbon dioxide into hold No. 1 and sealed it over concerns of an explosion.The purpose of the air circulation is to increase air flow in the cargo holds so that personnel can enter. Additional technical experts are enroute to evaluate options for conducting visual inspections.

12 Jan 2024

Salvage Tug Koyo Maru Built for Nippon Salvage

Image courtesy Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group company christened and launched a salvage tug being built for Nippon Salvage Co., Ltd. The ceremony took place at the Enoura Plant of MHI's Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The vessel, named Koyo Maru, is scheduled for handover to Nippon Salvage in June 2024 following completion of outfitting work and sea trials.Koyo Maru measures 80.6 x 15.5 m with gross tonnage of approximately 3,000.

04 Oct 2023

Close Call: US Coast Guard Rescues 12 as Bonnie G Ro-Ro Ship Runs Aground

Credit: USCG

A U.S. Coast Guard boat crew rescued 12 people, Wednesday morning, after they were forced to abandon the Bonnie G vessel that was taking on water and ran aground just south of the airport in St. Thomas.All 12 people aboard the Bonnie G, a 195-foot Vanuatu-flagged “ro-ro” cargo vessel, are safe, and no injuries have been reported to the Coast Guard. Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received VHF marine radio communication from the Bonnie G at 3:41 a.m., Wednesday, reporting…

16 Nov 2023

Remaining Titan Submersible Debris Salvaged

Source: Phoenix International

Phoenix International Holdings, under the direction of the U.S. Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), have recovered the remaining debris of the Titan submersible from the North Atlantic seafloor near the RMS Titanic shipwreck.Work was performed using Phoenix’s Remora remotely operated vehicle (ROV). This 20,000 ft rated vehicle, designed and built by Phoenix, was used to map, locate, and recover Titan submersible debris at a depth of 12,500 feet. This was a follow…

02 Nov 2023

Cargo Ship Catches Fire Off the Philippines

(Photo: Philippine Coast Guard)

A fire that broke out Thursday aboard the cargo ship Ken off the Philippines has been extinguished, the Philippine Coast Guard said.The vessel, owned by Pherwin Shipping Corp., reportedly caught fire near Castilla Anchorage Area in Sorsogon at around 11 a.m. local time.The Coast Guard said it coordinated with the Philippine Navy and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) for joint search and rescue and firefighting operations.According to the eight crewmembers on board, the fire started in the vessel's mess hall. No injuries were reported.

03 Nov 2023

Breakaway Barge Retrieved After Striking Pier in Seattle

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A fully loaded container barge that broke loose and struck a pier in downtown Seattle has been towed to safety.The U.S. Coast Guard said it was notified at 1:25 p.m. on Thursday that the barge had broken loose from Terminal 18 and went adrift in Elliot Bay.The barge, owned by Lyden's Alaska Marine Lines, was drifting toward the Great Wheel and the Seattle Aquarium when it was intercepted by a King County Water Taxi vessel, Doc Maynard, which used its bow to push the barge north in an attempt to prevent an allision.The barge eventually struck Pier 66, causing landside damage.

28 Nov 2023

Bulk Carrier Runs Aground in the Detroit River

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A Portuguese-registered bulk carrier ran aground outside Belle Isle Anchorage in the Detroit River, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The 623-foot freighter Barbro G reportedly went soft aground at 7:37 a.m. on Monday. The vessel is said to be carrying 21,000 tons of wheat to Italy.No pollution, damage, injuries or impact to commercial traffic have been reported. The cause of the incident is under investigation.The U.S. Coast Guard is on scene along with a pair of commercial tugs as the ship's representatives works with U.S.

16 Nov 2023

Austal USA Lays Keel for USNS Billy Frank, Jr.

(Photo: Austal USA)

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA held a keel laying ceremony for USNS Billy Frank, Jr., marking the official start of construction on the U.S. Navy’s eleventh Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ship (T-ATS 11).Ship sponsor Peggen Frank and her husband, William Frank III, authenticated the keel by welding their initials into a keel plate that will be welded to the hull of the ship. They were assisted by Brandon Auld, a four-year Austal USA veteran A-class structural fitter.Local community leaders…

29 Nov 2023

US Coast Guard Awards Golden Ray Responders

Source: US Coast Guard

The US Coast Guard presented public service awards to maritime partners for their actions during the Golden Ray capsizing and subsequent response during a ceremony at the Southeast Georgia Conference Center.The public service awards recognized each individual’s commendable actions that resulted in the preservation of life and mitigation of environmental hazards and economic impacts during the Golden Ray capsizing and grounding in St. Simon's Sound, Georgia, on Sept. 8, 2019.Rear Adm. Douglas Schofield, commander, Coast Guard Seventh District, and U.S.

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