Ultratug and Titan in action after Chilean ‘quake In one of the more unusual operations, TITAN Salvage and Remolcadores Ultratug worked together to safely re-float the MV LAUREL, a 26,800 dwt bulk carrier, which had been in a dry dock undergoing routine maintenance in Talcahuano, Chile in February when an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck. The ‘quake generated two tsunamis which lifted the LAUREL up and out of the dock, thrusting it forward onto the forward end of the dry dock. The ship’s engine and steering gear rooms, as well as its No. 5 cargo hold, flooded as the vessel’s sea valves and manholes were open. ISU members Remolcadores Ultratug and TITAN Salvage worked together to patch the hull; remove the vessel’s propeller and debris which was lying in the bottom of the dry-dock hindering the refloating; discharge the remaining heavy fuel oil and shift some ballast to obtain the correct trim. The team also fabricated a custom built 17 ton jacking plate on site and placed it under the bow, along with four, 14 metre rubber air bags to serve as jacks when inflated. With several hundred tons of ground reaction on the bow, the LAUREL’s bow was lifted off the dry dock wall and she was gently eased back into the water with Ultratug’s powerful tugboats. The LAUREL, the dry dock and a 380 ton caisson door, which was precariously positioned beneath the casualty’s bow, suffered no structural damage.
Ex-arbitrators in dispute with Lloyd’s The former Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) Appeal Arbitrator, John Reeder, QC, and the first instance Arbitrator, Belinda Bucknall, QC, have issued proceedings in the High Court in London against Lloyd’s. It follows last year’s shake up of the system underpinning the LOF.
Remolcadores Ultratug operates in and between all the major ports along the Chilean, Peruvian and Ecuadorian coasts in the Pacific and along the Argentine and Brazilian coasts in the
Atlantic.TITAN, a wholly owned Crowley subsidiary, has performed over 350 salvage and wreck removal projects since 1980.
The changes saw the existing panel of arbitrators and appeal arbitrator dissolved. The new panel did not include Mr Reeder or Ms Bucknall who had applied to be on it.
in the claim”.
The claim against Lloyd’s is for breach of contract and damage to the reputations of the two barristers. Lloyd’s said it is “resisting the claim and does not accept much of what appears 1
The issue has generated significant coverage in the shipping media. ISU will not comment on the legal action which is a matter for the parties involved but said that its members continue to have confidence in LOF, which works well, and in the new panel of arbitrators.