www.smit.com/contact
I don’t know if they are listed on the “approved” salvor list in the US, or whether they have any major equipment at their disposal, but as a part of Boskalis they have access to shallow draft floating cranes with up to 3600 t. capacity, which can be transported to the site in a matter of weeks.
From memory of the removal of the car carrier Hyundai No. 105 in the Singapore Strait some years back took several months, as did the cutting up of the Tricolor. (Both done by Smit BTW)
Titan has some experience from rigthing capsized car carriers and some very large salvage operations around the world though.
But would say the Asian Hercules III, or the Taklift 6 etc. be allowed to operate inside US waters, even if that could speed up the operation and reopen the the port quicker? (Even if the present salvor brought them in)
My unsolicited speculation: not enough water depth to right the vessel even if the economics were favorable.
It will be fascinating to see how the wreck removal is performed. The setup for the New Carissa was clever with jackup rigs and essentially a ski lift to shore for ferrying pieces.
Thanks.
Ardvent was the third salvage company I was thinking of, not Resolve. The name just slipped my mind. Resolve doesn’t have heavy lifting facilities that would be useful here, I’m not sure if they have the same access to getting hold of some either.
To what ends, though? Despite assertions to the contrary by people I respect, she and her cargo look like scrap from where I’m sitting. What do you propose would be the benefit of removing the wreck in one piece for cutting somewhere else? Fragmenting, sorting and smelting the remains as locally as possible has undeniable efficiency benefits, and it will provide a whole bunch of local jobs. That makes the alternative a tough sell, IMHO.
She is a near new vessel and only partly submerged. I have not seen anything saying that the Underwriters or Owners have declared constructive total loss. (??)
Removing in one piece, regardless of after use, MAY be quicker and safer and allow the port to fully reopen quicker.
From previous cases; removing cargo and cutting in place have taken a very long time.The Hyundai No. 105 wreck removal took nearly 18 months.
I was not involved, but watched the process every time I passed the site to/from Batam. (I got some pictures of the sections as they were loaded on barges somewhere)
Of course most of the cargo will probably have to be removed to righten the GR, unless the cars were secured exceptionally well.
10/20 GA–St. Simons Sound RNA Amended: MARINERS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO REDUCE THEIR WAKE AROUND CEDAR CREEK, IN THE BRUNSWICK HARBOR DUE TO SALVAGE AND BOOMING OPERATIONS IN THE VICINITY OF THE M/V GOLDEN RAY
The USCG District Seven is amending a temporary regulated navigation area (RNA) for navigable waters in St. Simons Sound, GA bounded by a line drawn from a point located at 31º07’48’‘N, 081º23’30’‘W, thence to 31º07’29’‘N, 081º23’37’‘W, thence to 31º07’38’‘N, 081º 24’10’‘W, thence to 1º07’22’‘N, 081º24’38’‘W, thence to 31º07’40’‘N, 081º25’01’‘W, thence to 31º08’07’‘N, 081º24’48’'W. Entry of vessels greater than 500 gross tons into this area is prohibited, unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port (COTP) Savannah. For further restrictions within the RNA contact the USCG COTP Savannah. Chart: 11502 (7th District LNM Week 42/2019)
The detail of those LiDAR scan images is pretty impressive. I’ve seen it used for BOPs and piping systems but it seems pretty useful for this application too. I wonder if by “inaccessible cargo holds” that means for safety reasons or they were submerged. Looks like some hang-fire danger from the cargo that hasn’t broken free yet.
Yeah, I quit scrolling after reading about the rocks to slow the erosion, didn’t see the LiDAR images till now.
This photo looks like it was taken from inside a ventilation duct. Used cars I think based on the pickups have caps on them? Looks like they have shifted. Sometimes used cars don’t get lashed as well as new ones because the weights tend not to be calculated as carefully.
Somethere there are some photos of some high-end German cars being taken off a car ship with a front end loader after the ship went thought some heavy weather. A lot of the tires had been torn off as well as wheels and whole axles.
That was after a lot of heavy rolling, this one only went over once but it seems possible the tires may have been ripped off.