MV Ella Salvage Operations to Begin off England
Salvage operations are expected to commence shortly in order to remove the wreck of the MV Ella which sank in July off Lowestoft, England.
MV Ella formerly served as a floating restaurant and was unmanned and under tow from Hartlepool to Rochester when she began to take on water. The tow was cut and the vessel sank approximately 3.5 nautical miles southeast off the Port of Lowestoft on July 6, 2017, resulting in a hazard to navigation and a danger to shipping.
The Secretary of State’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (SOSREP), established a Temporary Exclusion Zone (TEZ) of 500 meters around the wreck, and Trinity House has marked the site with Emergency Wreck Marking Buoys.
A Dutch consortium comprising of DUC Marine Group and Multraship Towage and Salvage has been awarded the salvage contract.
The wreck will be lifted from the seabed and any debris will be removed before being taken to a facility for recycling.
“We are all working together with the salvage contractors to ensure the smooth operation of the wreck’s removal,” said Stephan Hennig, Deputy to the Secretary of State’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention. “As soon as all the equipment is in place and everything is ready to go, the work will begin.”