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.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Last edited by thieuster; 7th April 2021 at 13:10.
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.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.
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.
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.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote