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Eemslift Hendrika had a bit of a problem yesterday. The cargo shifted in heavy seas and she was listing a bit too much for comfort:
Wait until the end to see how they recovered the last of the crew.
Notice the large green workboat on the deck? It's new, worth €6.6 million and made a break for freedom: see www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaIWczln8pk. But they've sent someone to get her back...link.
Boskalis, the people who towed the Suez ship back into the water are trying to salvage this one. It’s a ‘finders keepers’ agreement or a fixed one with the insurers. The green vessel was destined to be shipped to Norway in the first place...
According to Dutch regional newspaper DVHN (where Hendrika's shipping company is located) mentions that the salvage crew will be lowered on the deck by a chartered helicopter today.
Boskalis is a conglomerate of Dutch offshore and engineering companies. The salvage part is originally called Smit and they are the company that salvaged the Russian submarine Kursk.
My grandmother's brother used to be a crew member on one of Smit's towing/salvage tug Towing vessel Noordvaarder. First as a mate, then as a captain. He and his crew fled to England at the beginning of WWII and there, he, his salvage tug & crew were enlisted in the Royal Navy - just doing the job they alway did and it also acted as spare mine sweeper! The ship's name got the (Dutch HRM) HMS sign in front of its name. I remember my grandma's brother as an old (1901) but firm and stout-hearted man with strong opinions about everything.
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Wow! Scary stuff - The way that boat is being tossed about! Did the last crew member jump off the end the boat or was he swept into the water?
He jumped...the helicopter crew decided that a winch from the deck had become too risky.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eddiex
As thieuster has indicated Two large tugs have arrived at “Eemslift Hendrika”. They are Nordmand Drot and BB Ocean . A Norwegian Coast Guard patrol vessel, KV Bergen is also in attendance as they attempt to salvage Hendrika.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PickleB
The cargo has an estimated value of 10 million euros (I don't know if that's with/without the green ship on the deck). The ship itself is worth a lot of money as well, as long as she's afloat. No fire, no water damage to the engine room. This is a big score! Smit / Boskalis has 7 men ready in Norway, but the Norwegian Coast Guard doesn't allow the men to board the ship due to the bad weather. Source: https://www.dvhn.nl/groningen/Slecht...-26755000.html
That seems wise. With little chance of further damage from running aground etc, waiting for a safer time to get aboard and set up the tow must be the best option...link.Quote:
Originally Posted by thieuster
Meanwhile the AQS Tor is already under tow back and en route to its owners...link...who will be having an interesting discussion with whoever ends up owning the Hendrika or her previous owner as to what they owe and to whom for the failed passage that they had contracted and who pays for towing AQS Tor back to land.
There are several other vessels still on Hendrika's deck, including a sailing yacht with the mast still standing. Somewhere there is an owner monitoring all this as best they can and hoping to get his boat back in one piece.
Just saw this video on my Twitter timeline and came here to check if someone had already posted it.
Amazing.
“Eemslift Hendrika” now being towed:
...On Wednesday evening, the rescue crew of four people from the Dutch firm Smit Salvage approached from a helicopter to secure the ship. “Eemslift Hendrika” then drifted directly towards Stadlandet, Western Norway, at a speed of 1.5 knots.
Then action was launched due to fears that the vessel would drift ashore during the night. The wave height was between three and four metres, which was demanding and not optimal.
When the vessel was secured, there were four to five hours left until the ship would have hit land...
The Norwegian Coastguard wasn't too keen to put civilians on the deck of a ship in the state of the Hendrika. But when they realised that it would hit rocks and would cause environmental havoc, they changed their minds. According to https://www.dvhn.nl/groningen/Race-t...-26755924.html, the Hendrika is now being towed by to tugs, heading for Alesund in Norway.
What I've understood (but I cannot find sources to confirm it) is that Boskalis has chartered tugs and Norwegian crews under Dutch supervision for this project. The crew that got on the Hendrika are all skilled and seasoned Smit/Boskalis people. Perhaps that's the fastest way to reach an abandoned ship that threatens the environment. It may come as no surprise that the members of a boarding crew (we call them 'opstappers') get a fat monthly paycheck. Often, these people are recruited from the fishing industry and former Royal Marines (divers).
Those Boskalis people are doing a great job. Perhaps I can give 'm some credit when I'm in a traffic jam caused by an infrastructural project that's done by Boskalis :livid:
Menno
Smit International is owned by Boskalis. I was led to this by...link:
Boskalis has confirmed that its subsidiary Smit Salvage has been hired to salvage the Eemslift Hendrika, which is currently adrift without a crew off the coast of Norway. A salvage team will be deployed as soon as possible by helicopter to board the abandoned ship. A heavy sea tug will also be taken to the ship that has gone adrift, says a Boskalis spokesperson...
While they'd prefer to use their own tugs I imagine that Smit chartered the nearest available as time was of the essence.
See also...link...for:
...Smit Salvage, a subsidiary of the Dutch marine services company Boskalis, told Reuters it had been contracted to try saving the ship and was mobilising a team to send to Norway later on Tuesday.
Safety permitting, Smit would seek to get its own crew on board the Hendrika and link the vessel to a so-called anchor handling tug, a powerful ship built to move rigs for the oil industry.
“Getting her onto a tow line and to a calmer location, that is the goal,” Smit Salvage spokesman Martijn Schuttevaer said...
The ship was safely towed into Alesund Harbour around 6:30 PM local time. The ship is still heeling, about 7 degrees. The salvage crew has managed to install pumps for water to level the ship. According to a Dutch news site, the original crew is back on the ship. So, Smit/Boskalis has a deal with the owners/insurers that's different than the 'no cure no pay' approach from days gone by (as my great-grand-uncle used to tell).