Scheldt Salvage a Success

Multraship Salvage, working under LOF2000 with co-contractors URS Salvage and Maritime Contracting, has moved the containership Fowairet to the Verbrugge Terminal at the port of Flushing after the 2,757 teu vessel grounded in the River Scheldt last week with a cargo of almost 2,000 containers, 127 of which contained hazardous cargo.

The vessel suffered hogging damage and flooding in No. 5 hold after grounding in the early morning of September 20 on the ebb tide near Perkpolder, between Terneuzen and Antwerp. There was some oil leakage from a cracked fuel tank which was contained by anti-pollution craft with sweepers.

The vessel was initially held in Flushing Sloe harbor, awaiting inspection and assessment of salvage options. Using three floating cranes, the joint salvors then offloaded the vessel's deck cargo of approximately 600 containers into barges in order to reduce the vessel's draft sufficiently to enable it to be shifted and moored at a terminal in the port. This operation was completed on the evening of September 27, and the vessel was successfully moored at the Verbrugge Terminal on the morning of September 28. The salvors then started pumping out the fuel oil from the vessel's damaged and leaking tanks into a lightering tanker, attended by salvage craft, oil booms and onsite anti-pollution craft. Work began on September 29 to discharge the remaining 1,300 containers from the vessel at the Verbrugge Terminal.