Multraship Completes Lifting of Sunken Tug

Dutch salvage and towage company Multraship Salvage BV has successfully refloated the Slovakian pusher-tug Polana, which sank in the River Danube on December 19 last year following a serious fire in it engineroom. Despite a rapid response from local firefighters at the time of the casualty, the fire spread into the Polana's accommodation and other parts of the ship. The vessel subsequently sank in 10-12 m.of water in the Romanian section of the river, off Giurgiu. The Romanian authorities ordered the owners to the remove the vessel immediately because the Polana had over forty tons of fuel on board. Multraship Salvage mobilized its floating sheerlegs Cormorant, and the tugs Fonda and Herman, under the direction of a salvage team from Holland, accompanied by a diving team from UK-based salvor, Titan. Following extensive preparations, the salvors finally start lifting on January 15. Reports indicate that a small amount of fuel escaped from the vessel at the time of its sinking, but the remaining fuel was successfully transferred by the salvors into tank barges. The vessel has now been successfully redelivered to its owners.