Icelandic Coast Guard has been conducting an operation since last week to salvage the cargo ship Wilson Skaw that ran aground at Ennishöfði in Húnaflói on April 18th.
The Coast Guard’s first move was to dispatch a helicopter to evaluate the ship’s status. They indicated that, albeit firmly trapped, there was no further danger. The Coast Guard’s divers examined the condition of the cargo ship and reported that most of it had been been stuck. They immediately put a boom around the ship to prevent any oil spills.
As the wind and wave heights near Hnaflói increased on Friday, the guard ship Freyja towed the cargo ship Wilson Skaw. The vessel was successfully refloated. The Coast Guard was able to successfully navigate the it through the area’s blind spots and into deeper seas. The ship appears to require lightening before it can be salvaged at it transported around 2000 tons of salt and 195 tons of oil.
Yesterday, the crew of the guard ship Freyja extracted oil from the cargo ship. The vessel was expected to be hauled to Akureyri after an inspection by the ship’s owners. However, the inspection determined that the ship could not be towed to Akureyri without temporary modifications. The Coast Guard will hold a meeting with the ship’s owners tomorrow to determine the next actions.
