Tag: salvage operation

MV RENA Updates Salvage teams have pumped all of the oil out of a cargo ship stranded off New Zealand, officials say.The Rena, which got stuck on a reef and was in danger of breaking apart, initially leaked 350 tonnes of oil, killing more than 1,000 sea birds.Salvage operations had been hampered by bad weather, and there were fears of a widespread environmental disaster.But Maritime New Zealand said it had now finished pumping oil and would send in a crane to remove the cargo.There are still about 1,300 containers to be removed from the ship, which will also be moved off the reef. Disbelief to reliefStuart Crosby, mayor of the city of Tauranga, said the result was tremendous."The salvors have done an amazing job under treacherous conditions to avoid an environmental disaster," he said, according to the New Zealand Herald."I guess we've all gone through a series of emotions that we all do in this type of event. There has been disbelief, frustration, anger, and now relief - relief that the oil has been taken away by these great people."The Greek-owned and Liberian-flagged cargo ship ran aground on 5 October on Astrolabe Reef, 22km (14 miles) from Tauranga Harbour on ...

Remaining 300 tonnes of oil still to be pumped off Oil isnowbeing continuouslypumped at a stable rate from the submergednumber 5 starboard fuel oil tank on the grounded container ship Rena, Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) says.As at 3pm today, around 54 tonnesof heavy fuel oil from the tank had been transferred to the adjacent oil tanker Awanuia.MNZ Salvage Unit Manager Arthur Jobard said this left around 300 tonnes of oil still to be pumped off the ship to empty the final and most challenging tank."It is really pleasing to see oil being pumped from this tank," Mr Jobard said."Getting to this point has been incredibly challenging for the salvors. They have worked tirelessly to start removing oil despite setbacks along the way, and this is a significant milestone for the entire operation. "Every tonne of oil they take off the ship is another tonne that will not go into the water."Mr Jobard said the team was now working to speed up the pumping rate from the tank, in an effort to get the oil off as quickly as possible. The team was using a "hot tapping" technique, which is a method of extracting oil from the submerged tank without allowing ...

Obstacle for the salvage operation -Crews are racing to remove the remaining oil Noxious fumes from the rotting cargo aboard a ship marooned on a New Zealand reef pose the latest obstacle to salvage crews trying to remove oil.The ship Rena this week survived stormy weather as experts anxiously waited to see if the badly damaged vessel would split in two. But now that the sea has calmed enough to allow crews back on board, they are facing a stink.Maritime New Zealand said in a statement Thursday that environmental officers are on board to assess the fumes from 121 containers holding perishable food which the agency said started to decompose "some time ago."The Rena ran aground Oct. 5 near Tauranga Harbor in the North Island, spilling about 385 tons of oil into the ocean. Crews are racing to remove the remaining oil before the boat falls apart.Source: AP

Due to bad weather Three salvage teams are back on board the stricken Rena, after bad weather forced them off the ship on Monday, Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) says.Oil spill response and salvage teams were on heightened alert overnight, in anticipation of bad weather and heavy swells. However, Rena remained intact in the same position on the reef and aerial observation this morning confirmed no further damage to the ship or additional containers washed overboard.MNZ Salvage Unit Manager Bruce Anderson said after the weather cleared around mid-morning today, a team of salvors went on board to assess the safety of the vessel."Svitzer now has nine people on board," Mr Anderson said."They will first make sure the vessel is safe to work on and then they'll be working on re-establishing all their on-board systems for fuel removal."One team is focusing on re-establishing the dive station, so a team can recommence work on accessing the starboard tank. A second team is pumping the residual lubricants and oils in the engine room to a centralised tank - this will make it easier to pump those oils on to the Awanuia once that vessel is back on site."Awanuia would return to the Rena when ...

Speedy salvage operations for the cruise ship 'Nordlys' Norwegian company Miko Marine says it has been confirmed that the rapid availability of the company's magnetic patches ensured the speedy closure of sea chests during pumping operations to save the cruise ship 'Nordlys'.An engine room explosion at sea onboard the Hurtigruten vessel in September caused a fire and hull damage that resulted in two fatalities and rapid evacuation of the ship's 207 passengers and 55 crew. The ship was towed to Ålesund where emergency salvage work took place.The Nordlys was made fast alongside aq uay at Ålesund where several pumps were installed to counter the flooding. The location of the hull damage was, however, unknown and with a list of 21.7 the ship was in imminent danger of capsize. The salvage teams consequently needed to seal all of the ship's thruster sea chests to eliminate them as potential sources of the leak.Miko says that four magnetic patches were delivered to the ship accompanied by a Miko supervisor who was able to advise divers on their use. A fifth non-magnetic Miko patch was also used as this had become available before the magnetic patches arrived. Additional Miko high power magnets were applied ...

Nearly half of the oil left on board has now been pumped off Nearly half of the oil left on board the grounded container ship Rena in Tauranga has now been pumped off to the bunker barge Awanuia.Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) Salvage Unit Manager, Bruce Anderson said 164 tonnes had been pumped off the ship over the past 24 hours, the highest daily rate to date. This brings the total amount of oil pumped off the ship to 645 tonnes, with about another 700 tonnes still on board.All of the oil pumped off so far has come from the port number 5 tank, and pumping began this afternoon on the three tanks in the engine room which together hold around 250 tonnes of oil. This oil is being pumped into port number 5 tank and then out to the Awanuia."It is great news that we are pumping from the tanks in the engine room now too," he said. However, he also emphasised that getting the oil out of the submerged starboard number 5 tank which holds 358 tonnes of oil remained a significant challenge.National On-Scene Commander Rob Service said there had been no more significant leakages of oil from the ...

A total of 171 tonnes have already been removed Salvage operations on board the cargo vessel Rena are progressing slowly but steadily, with a total of 171 tonnes removed from the vessel by this afternoon.The port number 5 tank from which fuel is being pumped originally held 772 tonnes.MNZ Salvage Unit Manager Bruce Anderson said the key focus for the salvage team today had been to establish continuous pumping off the vessel, and they had achieved that."Their focus now is on getting that flow happening more quickly. They have a range of options they will be testing to speed up the process - they will be working through these over the next 24 to 48 hours."The oil is very difficult to work with and is flowing very slowly at present. However, the team will be doing everything they can to get it moving faster."Mr Anderson said the team would continue pumping overnight, if weather allowed."We have fine weather forecast until Wednesday so we are taking advantage of the good weather while we can."This afternoon, the National On Scene Commander Alex van Wijngaarden reopened the Mount Maunganui beach from the base track through to Tay Street (approximately 3km).The beach was now ...

To remove loose items from the ship grounded off Cape Breton A salvage company has been hired by the Nova Scotia government to remove loose items from a ship grounded off Cape Breton.The province's Natural Resources Department says in an email that Mammoet Salvage will also seal all doors and hatches to prevent anyone from getting inside.Mammoet Salvage has already removed fuel and oil from the vessel.The former Great Lakes freighter was being towed to Turkey as scrap when it ran aground on Scatarie Island on Sept. 20.The provincial government says it will cost between $250,000 and $400,000 to do the work, and take from seven to 10 days.The work on the extensively damaged bulk carrier is expected to begin Thursday.The Natural Resources Department also says an oil sheen likely from the ship's engine room was spotted on the water Monday.Transport Canada estimates the sheen amounts to about five litres of oil that will be soaked up with absorbent booms.More than 10,000 litres of oil and waste water have already been removed from the ship, which has been heavily damaged by waves since it became stuck on the island's shore.Source: Cape Breton Post

Salvage operation has shifted The sunken MV Asia Malaysia is expected to be re-floated within the month, according to a Coast Guard official.Commodore Athelo Ybañez, Coast Guard Western Visayas commander, said Tuesday that salvage operations have shifted to the removal of the ship's cargo for the eventual re-floating of the vessel.The private salvor group contracted by Tran-Asia Shipping Inc. early this month successfully siphoned at least 16,000 liters of fuel from the ship's fuel tanks.This has eliminated risks of an oil spill, according to Ybañez.He said the salvors were already clearing heavy cargo and debris including vehicles, cement and hardware materials and were expected to complete the salvage operation within the month if there is no weather disturbance."The salvage operation is relatively easier because the ship sank at shallow depth. It was only delayed due to the storms," Ybañez said.The 2,439-tonner vessel bound for Iloilo from Cebu sank on July 31, a few hours after its 178 passengers and crew members were transferred to passing ships and boats.It lies 13 meters under water three miles off the coast of Manapla town in Negros Occidental.Source: Inquirer News