Dutch Towage and salvage specialist Multraship has successfully brought the 1,258 dwt, St Vincent & Grenadine-flag general cargo vessel Janina to safety after it was holed by a fishing vessel while at anchor at Buitenbanken, near Rotterdam.
The fishing vessel GO 27 collided with the Janina in the early hours of July 26, resulting in a crack in the ship’s hull on the starboard side, leading to immediate flooding of the engine room, from where the water ingressed into the ship’s accommodation. The ship’s master put his crew overboard in lifeboats, and there were no reported injuries.
The ship, which is owned by Janina Shipping Ltd, developed a 15-degree list, and the Den Helder Coastguard alerted the Dutch lifeboat association, KNRM, which sent three rescue boats to the site. Having secured the salvage contract, Multraship sent its tugs Multratug 18, Multratug 9, and Multraship Responder to the scene of the casualty.
Multraship’s specialist salvage team, using portable pumps, managed to keep the Janina afloat, and secured permission to tow it into the Scheldepoort Shipyard, where a diving inspection was carried out and pumping continued. Still making water, the ship has now been moved into drydock, where a decision will be made about necessary repairs.
The GO 27, meanwhile, was able to return to its home port of Stellendam in the Netherlands under its own power. The cause of the collision is still being investigated.
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