JULY 2013 INTERNATIONAL SALVAGE UNION

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The accommodation block of the wrecked container ship RENA is to be removed – in what New Zealand media reported to be a decision made ahead of any move to apply for consent to leave part of the wreck on the seabed.

There have been local concerns about the possibility the accommodation block would degrade or collapse in the future and release debris that could harm the shoreline.

The operation, planned to start in August or September, would form another major step in a salvage operation that began when the ship grounded on Astrolabe Reef off the Tauranga coast in October 2011.

The P&I insurers, the Swedish Club, said that no environmentally harmful material had been identified in the accommodation block and that any debris that might be released and eventually wash ashore would be picked up by the shoreline monitoring and clean-up process that had been put in place.

However the Club said it understood that the community does not want the uncertainty of not knowing what might happen to the block over time and that while removing the accommodation block would be expensive it recognised the importance of minimising the effects on the community of the Rena’s grounding as much as possible.

Resolve Marine, which has been working on the ship's bow section, will remove

Rena accommodation block to be removed

the accommodation block in two sections using oblique chain cutting parallel to the main deck.

Preparations for removing the accommodation block will start in August/September and the operation is expected to take up to 80 days, including 40 days allowance for poor weather and sea conditions. Cutting is expected to begin in October following the arrival of an additional crane barge from Singapore.

Once each section is cut away, it will be lifted onto a third barge for transport to the Port of Tauranga for recycling.

In the meantime, Resolve will continue with its work to reduce the bow section using helicopters to take away cut sections to a barge stationed nearby. All

of the bow section that was above the water line has now been removed and the aim is to reduce it down to at least one metre below the lowest tide mark.

As the bow reduction nears completion, Resolve has begun cleaning up the debris field of container wreckage and other cargo that lies around the wreck.

Throughout the job so far, the team’s greatest challenge has been the weather. The wreck site is subjected to open-sea conditions with swells of up to 8 metres. The reef rises steeply from the sea floor, which amplifies swell and wave energy at the surface. Under these conditions, work on the wreck has frequently been interrupted or suspended for safety reasons.

Editor’s commentThis edition of Salvage World reports on several substantial and complicated wreck removal operations. Members of the International salvage Union are well placed to undertake such work with their skill, experience and access to the required equipment – often specially fabricated for the job in hand.

In the face of the decline of traditional salvage, evidenced by the falling numbers of Lloyd’s Open Forms, wreck

removal is undoubtedly a good source of income for contractors.

All parties have noted the rising cost of wreck removal operations. But it is a small number of particularly expensive cases that have caught the public eye.

Recent research by the International Group of P&I Clubs and Lloyd's has suggested that the chief driver of the rising cost of wreck removals are the increasingly burdensome requirements of the relevant coastal authorities.

ISU members acting as wreck removal

contractors are only one part of the large teams required by the authorities. Beach clean-up contractors; independent marine and offshore consultants; environmental monitoring firms and lawyers, for example, all receive substantial income from their involvement in a wreck removal.

As the issue continues, rightly, to generate interest, a proper understanding of the breakdown of the cost of wreck removals is required by the shipping industry.

Helicopter operations to remove sections of the bow of the RENA (left). Computer model of the attitude of the wreck (above).

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ISU NEWS

New officeThe ISU has moved into a new office conveniently located in the heart of the City of London close to major insurance, shipping and legal businesses. ISU full Members and Associates and Affiliates are encouraged to visit the office if they are in London. Please note the new address and telephone number below.

International Salvage Union Holland House 1 – 4 Bury Street London, EC3A 5AW

Phone: +44 207 220 6597

Places of Refuge

ISU has agreed its policy on the important issue of Places of Refuge – a location where a casualty may be brought to facilitate safe and effective salvage operations. ISU recognises that it is a sensitive issue with political considerations and that local communities may be affected. At the same time, failure to grant a place of refuge may well lead to environmental damage over a wider area.

The sinking of the tanker Prestige off the Spanish coast in 2002 was key in the development of the issue. The damaged tanker was refused entry to various ports on the Spanish and Portuguese coast. She had to be towed out to sea and subsequently broke up and sank causing significant oil pollution to the Atlantic coasts of Spain and France. Most observers concluded that the refusal to grant a Place of Refuge contributed significantly to the loss of the tanker and that the subsequent environmental impact was consequently worse than it need have been.

More recently, in 2012, the case of the MSC Flaminia, a containership which suffered a significant fire in the eastern Atlantic, and the Stolt Valor, a chemical carrier which suffered explosion and fire off Saudi Arabia, have again highlighted the issue. In both cases the process to agree safe passage of the casualty vessels to a Place of Refuge was lengthy and difficult.

There is much relevant existing international, regional and national legislation. ISU does not see merit in pursuing additional legislation which will be a lengthy process and will consume resources. Instead, ISU wishes to

see interested parties campaign for better application of, compliance with and enforcement of existing rules and guidance.

Coastal states should formally recognise that granting a Place of Refuge to a casualty vessel may be the most appropriate course. States should establish an authority to assess each case on its merits without political interference. They should engage people with the appropriate credentials and experience to undertake an assessment of a casualty requesting a Place of Refuge. Such assessment must include a visual inspection and conclude with recommendations for managing and mitigating the risk of any impact on local coastlines and communities. The assumption should be that a Place of Refuge will be granted if needed and that there should be “no rejection without inspection”.

In order to achieve the foregoing, ISU wishes to see wider adoption by coastal states of simple, robust, “single point” command and control models akin to that of the United Kingdom and in line with the requirements of the relevant EU Directive. For too long this important issue has been recognised but not acted upon.

Annual Meeting

The 2013 ISU Annual General Meeting will take place in Hong Kong 22 - 25 October. It will be the first AGM using a shorter format in which the full business of the Meeting will be conducted in one day. The Executive Committee will hold one of its quarterly meetings the day before the AGM and there will be a social programme on the day following the AGM. The intention is that the format will suit members who do not wish to commit two working days to the AGM while still allowing proper business and social opportunities.

The meeting will be held in the Intercontinental Hotel on Kowloon side. The ISU General Manager has circulated details of the new online accommodation booking system. It enables members to book their hotel rooms directly which offers more flexibility as changes can be easily made.

Early planning is underway for the 2014 Meeting which will be held in Hamburg’s Fairmont Hotel 30 September – 03 October 2014.

Vice Presidency

The ISU Executive Committee has recommended to the membership that John Witte of Donjon Marine Co, Inc.should succeed Leendert Muller of Multraship as Vice President after the Annual General Meeting.

Conferences and Events

ISU is supporting the inaugural London International Shipping Week 9-13 September during which there will be a conference and range of events. For more information visit, www.londoninternationalshippingweek.com

ISU is also supporting the Salvage Law & Practice Asia Seminar, 10 - 11 September 2013 at the Hotel Novotel Singapore, Clarke Quay, Singapore

http://www.informamaritimeevents.com/FKT2555ISUWL

ISU members can quote FKT2555ISUWL and save 20%

ISU is also supporting the associated Salvage & Wreck Asia Conference, 12 - 13 September 2013 at the same venue

Website: http://www.informamaritimeevents.com/FKT2525ISUWB

ISU members can quote FKT2525ISUWB and save 20%

British Summertime

Cricket is the traditional summer sport in the UK and the ISU General Manager, Mark Hoddinott and Communications Adviser, James Herbert, keen sports fans, took a day out of the office to attend the England versus New Zealand Test Match at Leeds in late May. It rained. All day. They went home with no cricket having been played. (The pair are seen above at the match in traditional summer clothes.)

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Multraship invests in new tugsMultraship has continued its fleet renewal programme with the purchase of two new Damen ASD 2810-type tugs with state-of-the-art FiFi 1 firefighting capabilities. The tugs, to be named MULTRATUG 26 and MULTRATUG 27 are being built in Romania for delivery in June/July 2013.

Contracts for the two tugs were signed during the course of Multraship’s annual client gathering in Terneuzen, where Multraship managing director Leendert Muller said: “We are delighted to have concluded deals for these vessels, built to a proven design by a yard with extensive experience and expertise in this sector.

“The new tugs will be mostly engaged in harbour towage activities in the Zeeland Seaports and Antwerp areas. In addition to their primary duties, they will also be on standby, ready to respond in the event of fire or explosion-related emergencies in the western and central part of the River Scheldt, as part of a commitment entered into with the Zeeland Safety Region in February 2013 to keep two FiFi 1 tugs on standby.

“These new tugs provide confirmation of Multraship’s commitment to investing for both the present and the future. In the towage and salvage sector, if you

Tsavliris operationIn May, TSAVLIRIS dispatched its salvage tug TSAVLIRIS UNITY from her Galle, Sri Lanka, salvage station, to assist the geared bulk carrier RIO GOLD, 39,695 tonnes dwt and laden with 35,200 tonnes of cement clinkers which was grounded on hard rock off South East Preparis Island, Myanmar.

A local naval vessel was dispatched by the authorities to the casualty’s position to monitor the situation and the Tsavliris salvage master arrived and attended meetings with Myanmar Port Authority, the Government Shipping Agency Department; the Department of Marine Administration and the Navy, to obtain necessary salvage permits.

The AHTS CONFIDENCE was sent from Penang for bunker removal and general services and shortly afterwards TSAVLIRIS UNITY arrived at the casualty’s position and connected.

Following connection, a refloating attempt was successful with no pollution. TSAVLIRIS UNITY went alongside

don’t invest, you risk getting left behind. It is also important to demonstrate to all sectors of the maritime industry that you are prepared to invest money, time and resources in everything from research and development to fleet renewal in order to provide a valuable towage, emergency response and salvage capability,” said Muller, who currently serves as vice-president of the International Salvage Union.

The tugs will have a minimum bollard pull of 62.5 tons and a maximum speed of 13.5 knots. They are being built at Damen Shipyards, Galati, Romania. Multraship has a representative office

in Romania and provides towage and salvage services as part of its strategic coverage of the Black Sea area.

Multraship has also added the ASD tug MULTRATUG 20 to its fleet through a long-term bareboat charter of the 72-tonne bollard-pull vessel, which was built by the Bogazici Shipyard in Turkey in 2010. The tug is equipped to undertake a range of services including towage, escort, anchor-handling, fire-fighting and salvage. The tug will be used primarily at sea for towage and to provide assistance and support for wind-farm and offshore construction projects.

portside of the RIO GOLD to provide stand by services and support services. An underwater inspection was performed to ascertain damage which showed the casualty had sustained propeller, rudder and extensive hull damage.

AHTS CONFIDENCE initially towed the RIO GOLD toward Lumut, Malaysia before TSAVLIRIS UNITY took over the

Pictured above, left to right, Pepijn Nuijten, Leendert Muller, Arnout Damen. Pictured right Multratug 26 and 27.

tow with CONFIDENCE escorting. The convoy arrived safely and anchored off Lumut port limits. Free pratique was granted for all vessels. The TSAVLIRIS UNITY went alongside with the towline connected, whilst the CONFIDENCE anchored nearby the casualty.

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Members’ News

SMIT

SMIT Salvage’s parent, Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) has announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sudamericana Agencias Aereas y Maritimas S.A. (SAAM) for a joint harbour towage operation within the American Continent. The partnership would involve two joint ventures and is between SMIT, a wholly owned subsidiary of Boskalis, and SAAM. The company says that the initiative would mean that in salvage operations SMIT Salvage would have an enlarged network of tugs available to provide support.

Bisso Marine

BISSO MARINE, LLC has acquired three substantial offshore construction assets: the 800 tonne capacity derrick barge, ex-IOS 800; the combination derrick laybarge, ex-IOS PIPELINER and the 400’ x 100’ accommodation and support barge, ex-INTERNATIONAL FRONTIER.

Spanopoulos

OSV CHRISTOS XXIII - 95 tonne bollard pull - towed the new build Hull 114 (Lewek Inspector) from Yalova,Turkey to Norway (below). The operation lasted just 20 days and was challenging due in part to the weather and sea conditions throughout the voyage.

STEELMAC

SteelMac has conducted a complicated operation to free the tangled anchor chains of the bulker ST PAVEL offshore Cueta, Spain. Strong winds and tides caused the anchored vessel to swing as a second anchor was being laid and the chains become enmeshed, immobilising the vessel.

The operation to free the vessel involved use of an ROV and compression divers in water depths of nearly 50 metres. The port anchor chain had to be supported and then cut. Operations to recover the anchor were hampered by a weak windlass and the cut parts of the chain had to be reconnected with shackles and wire slings before recovery in an 18 hour operation. FAIRMOUNT

The FAIRMOUNT SUMMIT has delivered rig SSV CATARINA to Angola from Okpo, South Korea, via the Straits of Malacca and Cape of Good Hope, a distance of over 10,000 miles with an average towing speed of 6.9 knots. The FAIRMOUNT SHERPA has also delivered the semi-submersible rig GSF ARCTIC I from offshore Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Las

SVITZER

SVITZER Salvage, in support of its expanding US Coast Guard-approved OPA-90 Salvage and Marine Firefighting service program, has opened a new 23,000 sq ft dedicated salvage warehouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Svitzer says that the equipment hub and a substantial network of sub-contractors providing towage and other services improves its ability to respond to emergencies throughout the US.

Additionally, SVITZER has entered into an exclusive partnership with Industrial Emergency Services LLC (IES), a Louisiana-based firefighting company, to supplement its marine firefighting services in the light of the application of the OPA-90 regulations to non-tank vessels. IES has more than 100 fulltime, in-house firefighting response and support staff located throughout the US which Svitzer says makes the partnership a strong OPA-90 SMFF offering for tank and non-tank vessel owners entering US waters.

The barges will have been modified and upgraded in drydock before re-entering service. BISSO MARINE has provided services to the marine and energy industries since 1890. It offers marine construction, pipe laying, salvage, heavy lift and diving services and has offices and strategic alliances across the US Gulf Coast, South America, Europe and Asia.

Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. On arrival off Las Palmas, FAIRMOUNT SHERPA performed anchor handling activities for the rig, mooring her on her eight anchors.

TSAVLIRIS

President of the International Salvage Union, Andreas Tsavliris, has been appointed to the Adjudication Panel of the Lloyd's List Greek Shipping Awards 2013. It is the 10th Anniversary of the awards which feature a number of categories. Mr Tsavliris said: “I am very honoured to have been asked and look forward to doing my very best with the other judges to select the most worthy winners.”

Separately, the Tsavliris team won the Baltic Exchange Go Kart endurance race completing109 laps in a 90 minute race held in London. Andreas Tsavliris, his son Alexandros and Keith Gardener competed against 20 other shipping organisations including Clarksons, Platou, the Baltic and Ince & Co in the physically demanding event.

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In February, the EMMA MAERSK, one of the world’s largest container vessels, began taking in water through the forward stern thruster as she was steaming south through the Suez Canal. Having lost engine power, the vessel’s Captain and crew reacted swiftly and, with the assistanceof the Suez Canal Authority, managed to get the ship to berth at the Suez Canal Container Terminal, Port Said, Egypt. SVITZER Salvage sent Salvage Master, Bram Sperling and his team to Egypt on the first available flight.

On arrival, the SVITZER team were briefed and toured the stricken ship. The ship’s main engine had been flooded,

but the water had stopped just short of the generators. It was decided to keep the engine flooded to avoid corrosion, and pumps were mobilised from Holland and installed to keep a steady water level. Using software specially developed by SVITZER Salvage, a naval

architect made a 3D model of EMMA MAERSK enabling ballast simulations to test the new stresses in the vessel following the flooding. The ship’s cargo of approximately 13,500 TEU containers had to be unloaded. At the same time, divers and diving equipment were hired locally and set to work placing patches on the stern thruster tunnel. It was in itself a substantial operation but the combined efforts of divers, the casualty’s crew and the salvage team eventually completed the patching and stopped the flooding.

After two weeks, EMMA MAERSK was ready to be towed across the Mediterranean to Italy for repairs.

The powerful tug of fellow ISU member, Fairmount, the FAIRMOUNT ALPINE, was fortunitously in the eastern Mediterranean at the time and towed the 398 metre long boxship to the Fincantieri repair yard in Palermo, Sicily.

The 1,276 miles voyage to Palermo took 8 days.

Svitzer praised the cooperation between Maersk Line, the crew of EMMA MAERSK and the its own salvage team in facilitating the successful operation.

EMMA MAESK engine room flood

Bram Sperling 31 years at sea, Salvage Master since 1998, 91 operations conducted.

In September 2012, while performing piling works for a jetty extension designed to accommodate 400,000 dwt vessels in Marahao, Brazil, the jack-up work barge SEP ORION experienced a “punch through”, capsized and submerged.

SMIT Salvage mobilized a salvage consultant and the tug SMIT Rebras to provide immediate assistance and the platform was pulled to a safer distance from the jetty to prevent damage to the commercially important loading terminal.

Smit agreed a contract to stabilize the platform, recover the pollutants and draft a plan to remove it. The quantity of oil on board was relatively small but zero visibility and very strong tidal currents at the site meant its removal was difficult. Diving was limited to a maximum of just 30 minutes on the neap tides and the

SMIT wreck removal in challenging conditionswork site changed continuously as sand banks shifted. Stabilization was achieved by tying back the leg to the main structure but it was clear that the platform could not be salvaged and it would become a wreck removal.

A contract was agreed in January 2013 for the removal of the wreck and the 250 tonne crawler crane that had been on board and the SMIT sheerleg Taklift 4 (see right) with a lifting capacity of 2200 tonnes was prepared and dispatched. The sheerleg was outfitted with additional anchor winch capacity as the current and the weight of the platform demanded maximum holding capacity of the heavy lift unit.

The wreck was lifted and moved to a shallower area with less current where it was subsequently parbuckled and refloated by pressurizing its tanks and

using the sheerleg's heavy lift capability. It is intended to scuttle the wreck.

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Associates’ News

ISU welcomes GL Noble Denton as an Associate Member

39 Tabernacle Street Noble House London, EC2A 4AA, UK Phone: +44 207 812 8700 Email: glnobledenton@gl-group.com Internet: gl-nobledenton.com

Tatham Macinnes

Law firm Tatham Macinnes LLP has celebrated its first anniversary. Its specialist team, TugAdvise has provided a range of clients with advice and support on tugs, OSVs, heavy lift, barges and offshore operations. Former ISU Secretary General, Mike Lacey, has joined a team of experts with wide maritime and legal experience. Principles Alex Macinnes and Simon Tatham have, in addition to their legal work, undertaken many speeches and seminars.

The ABR Company Limited

ABR reports that preparations are well under way for the ITS 2014 Convention and Exhibition that it organises and which will take place in Hamburg from 16 - 20 June 2014.

The event will explore developments in the world of tugboats, salvage, OSVs and offshore innovation, while providing excellent networking and social events.

The organisers have received numerous paper submissions and are currently drafting the programme in which salvage will feature heavily.

The previous ITS 2012 conference in Barcelona had more than 420 delegates and many papers covering a variety of salvage topics such as the challenges facing the industry; the P&I Clubs’ perspective and use of OSVs in wreck removal operations.

Those interested in attending should monitor the company’s website for when registration opens: http://www.tugandosv.com/its2014-introduction

Shipowners’ P and I Club

Shipowners’ P&I has announced its annual results. The Club saw the number of vessels entered grow by some 4.6% in the year to nearly 33,000 and its total tonnage rose by 10.8% to 21.9 million Gross Tonnes. This led to a 5.8% increase in gross premiums to US$ 221.9 million. The Club’s Annual Report

emphasised that the increase in premium had been achieved through organic growth without the need for substantial general increases.

In common with other clubs, Shipowners noted claims frequency and the average cost of claims per ton increasing, particularly with higher value claims. However, there was an improvement in claims reserves from previous years and the overall underwriting surplus reached US$ 8.9 million representing a combined ratio of 95.5%. The Club’s investment portfolio performed strongly with a 7.8% absolute return helping to achieve an overall surplus of US$ 40.9 million, increasing capital and free reserves to US$ 275.3 million, over 17% up on the previous year.

Intercargo

Intercargo has produced its Bulk Carrier Casualty Report and called for IMO member states to fully investigate ship losses and very serious casualties and to make accident investigation reports available publicly to ensure that the largest possible audience can learn from the findings. Intercargo said that objectivity, prioritising safety ahead of legal considerations; adopting IMO principles and making casualty investigation reports rapidly available should also be key objectives.

Following a number of very serious casualties over the years and the recent loss of the bulk carrier HARITA BAUXITE, Intercargo examined data from the IMO Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) Marine Casualties and Incidents module from 2008 to 2011. The research revealed that many serious bulk carrier incidents, in which both loss of life and vessel were recorded, were, in the majority of cases, either not accompanied by an investigation report or the report was not available for download.

Speaking of the research findings, Rob Lomas, Secretary General of Intercargo said: “The importance of clear, concise and consistent reporting of casualties and serious incidents cannot be stressed enough."

European Tug Owners’ Association

The European Tug Owners’ Association held its 50th Annual Conference in Opatija, Croatia. During the meeting, the members elected Peter Vierstraete from Smit Harbour Towage as Chairman in

succession to Richard Knight from JP Knight Group. Mario Mizzi from Tug Malta became the new Deputy Chairman.

At the meeting, the ETA Executive Committee launched a wide consultation among its members to assess the impact of the European Commission’s legislative initiative on the regulation of ports and port services. This is the third “Port Package” following two previous draft Directives which were not adopted having failed to pass the vote in the European Parliament.

Van Heck

Van Heck has launched its new complete pump system called Sea Trophy. Its own tests have shown it can quickly and cleanly remove oil at a rate of 70m3/hr. The hydraulically driven pump can be used for both light and heavy oil. Van Heck says that its compact and manageable design (150mm x 613mm) makes it ideal for use in the most demanding situations such as listing casualties and allows entry to tanks through vent and sounding pipes. It will fit through access as small as 200mm diameter.

Hill Dickinson

Hill Dickinson has appointed Ian MacLean as a partner to its London office, where he will focus on his international client base of ship owners, ship managers and their insurers.

This appointment provides the firm with five former mariners at partner level, with Ian joining the existing team of Mike Mallin, Tony Goldsmith, Phil Haddon and Andrew Gray. This team is further strengthened by another five ex-mariner assistants, two of whom are qualified solicitors. Ian’s casualty practice includes pollution, total losses, collisions, fire, structural failure, engine and electrical system failure, salvage, unsafe ports and cargo damage.

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Five Oceans operational round upThe bulker OCEAN PRINCE, 76,000 dwt, built 2004 and laden with grain on passage from South America to Malaysia, was immobilized in the Indian Ocean in March. The owners signed a LOF with Five Oceans Salvage which dispatched its own tug CORAL SEA FOS from her salvage station in Mauritius to assist and tow the vessel to Colombo where she was re-delivered to her owners on 01 April 2013.

In June, Five Oceans Salvage agreed a LOF for the bulker FREE NEPTUNE, 30,000 tonnes dwt built 1996 and in ballast, that suffered collision damage off port Nouakchott in Mauritania.

Five Oceans sent its own tug ARABIAN SEA FOS to assist from her salvage station in Dakar, Senegal together with a salvage team of 14 consisting of a Salvage Master, diving team, fitters and welders. This salvage operation is ongoing.

Also in June, Five Oceans signed a LOF for the tanker PERLA, 48,000 tonnes dwt, built 1988 and laden, that suffered an engine room fire in the Arabian Sea 300 nm off the coast of Somalia. Five Oceans

promptly mobilized its CARIBBEAN FOS from her salvage station in the UAE together with a team of armed guards. The casualty is still under tow to the UAE having experienced severe weather conditions.

FOS also mobilized its tug CORAL SEA FOS from Mauritius to assist tanker barge ITB GROTON, 9,267 tonnes and built in

1982, that was being towed from West Africa to India for re-cycling. The ITB GROTON had been abandoned when the tug towing her off the South African coast was forced to seek a port of refuge. CORAL SEA FOS managed to connect to the barge some 110 miles off East London and is currently towing her to Port Louis in adverse weather conditions.

FREE NEPTUNE

PERLA

OCEAN PRINCE

ITB GROTON

US salvage conferenceThe 2013 National Maritime Salvage Conference and Expo, co-sponsored by the American Salvage Association and Marine Log, will be held 9 – 12 September at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Weathering the Storm.” The first two days of the conference will include sessions giving an OPA 90 regulatory update; environmental salvage; liability exposure and responder immunity; OFAC restrictions on salvage operations; activating the Vessel Response Plan; incident management during salvage operations and effective communications.

Day three of the conference will consist of a session on the expectations of distinct stakeholders in a salvage response operation and a tabletop training exercise.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available: http://www.marinelog.com/images/constantcontact/Salvage_SponsApp.pdf To register, visit www.marinelog.com

Spanopoulos Group’s OSV CHRISTOS XXIII, towed iconic aircraft carrier, HMS ARK ROYAL from Portsmouth, UK, on her final journey to Aliaga, Turkey for re-cycling.

The convoy departed from the Royal Navy base at Portsmouth on 20 May and

was delivered safely on 10 June. The UK is building two new giant aircraft carriers the QUEEN ELIZABETH and PRINCE OF WALES but they will not enter service until 2020. The name ARK ROYAL has been carried by British warships since the sixteenth century.

HMS ARK ROYAL's final voyage

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International Monitor

Denmark

The Port of Esbjerg's new Østhavn or “East Harbour” has opened. The 650,000 square metre expansion of the harbour consolidates Esbjerg's position as the leading North Sea port for the wind turbine industry and increases its potential to develop and grow other business areas.

The port authorities described Esbjerg as the “EnergyMetropolis of Denmark” and the new section of the harbour covers an area equivalent to 100 football pitches. It has taken two years to build and the investment amounts to some €100 million.

The new wharves include facilities specially designed for testing, pre-assembly and shipping of the largest offshore wind turbines.

United States

On March 9, 2013, the OPA 90 Vessel Response Plan (VRP) regulatory package outlining requirements for Non-Tank Vessels trading in US waters was approved by the US Office of Management and Budget. The new rules were published in early June and the American Salvage Association (ASA) believes that the new requirements for early notification of a reputable and proven salvage contractor as an integral part of a Non-Tank Vessel VRP can only serve to improve response to casualties,

reduce delays and increase cost efficiencies.

In addition, the Coast Guard has issued instructions to its Captains of the Port (COTPs) and Federal On-Scene Coordinators (FOSCs) on the prompt activation of a VRP. Specifically, the new guidelines to the COTPs and FOSCs outline how to approach an environmentally threatening marine casualty and to ensure the VRPs are activated by either the vessel master or the qualified individual. The ASA applauds the direct and clear wording of these Vessel Response Plan Activation guidelines.

International shipping prospects

Overall confidence levels in the shipping industry rose to their highest level for two and a half years in the three months ending in May 2013, according to the latest Shipping Confidence Survey from ISU Associate Member, international accountant and shipping adviser Moore Stephens.

The survey produced evidence of increased enthusiasm for new investment, although doubts persisted about the availability of bank finance. Fuelled by ongoing concern about a surfeit of tonnage on the market, freight rates in the dry bulk sector in particular were expected to come under more pressure over the next twelve months, although the outlook for the tanker markets looked more encouraging.

At the same time, Breamar Seascope reported that the ratio of container TEU capacity on order compared to the trading fleet dropped below 20% in June. Jonathan Roach, Container Market Analyst at Braemar Seascope, said: “With more than 1.7m TEU expected to be delivered in 2013, the ratio is set to fall to approximately 16% by the end of the year. During the six year ordering boom between 2003 and 2008, in the region of 10.0m TEU of containership capacity was ordered. The order book ratio peaked at approximately 60% in 2007, when in excess of 3.0m TEU was ordered. In the five years since the global financial crisis, vessel ordering has declined; from 2009 to 2013, we estimate that just 4.0m TEU will be added to the order book.”

Safety at sea

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has published new guidance for

shipowners on how shipping companies and crews can implement an effective “safety culture”. The new ICS Guidelines are being distributed free of charge throughout the industry.

They cover the vital need for all concerned, at sea and ashore, to understand the relationship between unsafe acts and serious incidents that may result with loss of life. In particular it emphasises the need to change behaviour and to avoid negative attitudes and complacency.

ICS says there are three essential components to developing a safety culture: commitment from the top, measuring performance and then modifying behaviour. “Near miss” reporting is important too.

ICS Secretary General, Peter Hinchliffe said: “Repeated analysis demonstrates that serious accidents in shipping are nearly always due to a failure to follow established procedures. Our goal is to ensure that all company personnel believe in safety, think safety and are committed to safety. Hopefully our new brochure will contribute to this objective.”

The new ICS brochure is available via ICS member national shipowners’ associations, but can also be downloaded free of charge from the homepage of the ICS website or via http://www.ics-shipping.org/SafetyCulture.pdf

The Arctic

At a Summit in Oslo, shipowners, Ministers from major shipping nations and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) discussed Arctic Shipping. The summit was coordinated by the Norwegian Government and attended by Ministers and senior officials from Greece, Japan, Norway, Russia, Singapore, United States and the European Commission.

It underlined the need for government and industry cooperation in order to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the Arctic in a way that reconciles the need for both environmental and economic sustainability.

The meeting concluded by emphasising the importance of governments and shipowners co-operating to ensure that the draft IMO Polar Code is adopted and implemented as soon as possible.

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TITAN and T&T SALVAGE refloat OCEAN BREEZEUS salvors, TITAN Salvage and T&T Salvage, have completed the challenging removal of the wreck of the OCEAN BREEZE off the coast of Chile. The vessel ran aground in August 2012 near the Port of San Antonio, while carrying more than 34,000 tonnes of grain.

The only access to the casualty was from the beach 300 metres away, across a constantly shifting seabed, and the 50-strong TITAN and T&T team constructed an aerial cableway, between the vessel and a crane on the beach, allowing them discharge the grain to land.

Some of the grain cargo was spoiled, which created a dangerous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) hazard aboard the ship and on the beach and a marine chemist specializing in salvage operations was engaged to advise the salvage master.

As well as the cableway, the job also required TITAN’s hydraulic chain pullers and T&T’s high-capacity pumping units. The team also designed and fabricated a shallow-draft, flat-deck barge – the pneumatic pontoon system – to transport equipment and to assist in the discharge of the grain.

While the cargo was being removed, six of TITAN’s pullers were installed on the vessel’s bow. Connected to the pullers were six, high-holding anchors using approximately 5,000 meters of three-inch chain. Smith Maritime’s tug RHEA laid

the anchors and made the connections to the pullers despite extremely challenging surf conditions. After some five months and de-ballasting, this elaborate network of anchors, wires and chains, coupled with the power of the hydraulic pullers, enabled the vessel to be pulled off the beach and refloated to deeper waters.

The vessel was cleaned and scuttled in Chilean waters at a position designated

by the local maritime authorities.

Titan's Gordon Amos said: "Successful salvage and wreck removal does not take place on a computer screen or spreadsheet or at a conference table. It is carried on by teams of trained and dedicated people doing heavy, sometimes dangerous, demanding tasks for long hours in the dark and the cold and the wet without complaining."

Costa Concordia project makes progressThe project to refloat the wreck of the Costa Concordia is reported to be 67% complete. The 470 strong team on site are using 25 vessels and craft and have installed all 11 anchor blocks; drilled 21 holes into the rock and fixed four of the 15 floatation sponsons on the vessel’s port side. All six subsea platforms have been installed.

In a formal update given to the residents of the island of Giglio in late June, it was confirmed that the parbuckling of the Costa Concordia “can be completed by the end of summer 2013, at the beginning of September”. It will allow examination of the currently submerged starboard side of the wreck and enable work to proceed to refloat the vessel - primarily installing the starboard-side sponsons.

The steel sponsons, built by Fincantieri, measure 10.5 x 11.5 metres and

are up to 30 metres high. After the parbuckling,15 sponsons will be installed on the starboard side in a symetrical

position to those on the port side and together they will enable the refloating of the wreck.

Sponsons

Anchor blocks

Big Platforms

Drillings

To be done In progress Completed

Small platforms

Pictured above, OCEAN BREEZE using her machinery to discharge grain to shore via a "cableway" prior to refloating.

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The cable laying vessel CHARAMEL suffered a serious fire and the crew were rescued leaving her to drift and subsequently ground on the remote Namibian coast

The first part of the Resolve Marine wreck removal operation consisted of creating a road and 200 metre jetty using 40,000 tons of rock, gravel and fill to allow access to the wreck. Then the decks of the vessel were cut up and removed to lighten the wreck in preparation for pulling. After successfully removing the upper deck, 15 padeyes were welded down. 13 of the padeyes were welded

Remote wreck removal in Namibiato the bow section, connected by 3-inch K4 chain to the 300 tonne capacity chain pullers anchored on shore (see below). The remaining two padeyes were welded onto the stern as part of the contingency plan in case the vessel broke during the pulling process.

The next phase involved pulling the wreck to shore. During the pull, the vessel did split in two through one of its cable holds. Chains were then run from the stern padeyes to hold the stern section in place while the bow section was pulled ashore. Before the bow could be pulled completely ashore, two more chains were

run through the bow thruster tunnel. This, along with the padeyes on deck, provided enough pull to bring the bow section onto the beach. An additional four padeyes were welded down on the stern and provided sufficient pull to rotate the stern section and pull it ashore.

Scrappers are now working on both the bow and stern sections, cutting and removing the wreck from the shore. To enable the scrapping operation, each section of the ship has been rotated and pulled broadside to the shore, allowing the cranes to have sufficient reach to remove all remaining sections.