Captain Leendert Muller, Managing Director of Multraship Towage & Salvage, The Netherlands, was confirmed as President of the ISU at the conclusion of the 2025 ISU Annual General Meeting.
Captain Muller succeeds Mr John Witte Jr., Donjon Marine, USA, who will continue as a member of the ISU Executive Committee.
Commenting on handing over the ISU presidency, Mr Witte said: “It has been an absolute honour and privilege to have been the President of ISU these past two years, and to represent the interests of all our members as we have tackled the major issues facing our industry. We are a vibrant industry and we continue to provide vital services - the ISU members are critical partners for insurers and owners to help meet their ESG requirements.
“I am delighted to be handing over to Leendert Muller who comes from a family with a long and proud tradition in salvage. Leendert has much experience of the industry – after a long time at sea he worked in all the key departments including as principle salvage master and has demonstrated great commitment to marine salvage and the ISU of which
Global Salvage and Wreck Forum
The International Salvage Union, International Underwriting Association, and International Group of P&I Clubs are working together to produce the Global Salvage & Wreck Forum.
The new event succeeds the long-running Salvage & Wreck Conference, from which the organisers withdrew, but continues its legacy of fostering collaboration by convening salvors, consultants, property insurers, shipowners, lawyers and P&I insurers.
James Herbert, ISU Secretary General,
he is a past President and I am sure the leadership of our association will be in good hands.”
Mr Muller is a certified Master Mariner and acting Senior Salvage Master who has dedicated nearly 41 years to the shipping industry, having started his career at sea in 1984 and serving as a Captain on board Multraship tugs. Mr Muller has previously served as Chairman of the European Tugowners’ Association and he is also a member of the Board of the Royal Dutch Shipowners Association (KVNR) and the Dutch Transport Law Association (NVV).
Commenting on his appointment, Captain Muller said: “I would like to thank John for all that he has done for the ISU over the past two years: he has shown great dedication to the role. For my part it is a great honour to be the President of the ISU and I look forward to leading the association as it continues to address the current challenges, in particular, enhancing the reputation of the industry and strengthening further our relationships with shipowners and insurers.”
At the same time, Mr Richard Janssen, Managing Director of SMIT Salvage, The Netherlands, was confirmed as the vice President of the ISU. Mr Janssen is a past President of the association and has 30
commented, “Our members provide vital services, and this forum will focus on exactly the kind of work they do and the issues they contend with daily. Emergency response and wreck removal are equally important to our members and so bringing them together with owners, property insurers and the clubs is critical for cooperation and wider understanding of issues.”
“We also value the new approachconcentrating on excellent content and speakers and with much reduced prices - £600 for each delegate for two daysto make the Forum more accessible. Of course, meeting existing contacts and making new connections is vital, too.”
The Forum’s programme is now well
years’ experience of the marine salvage, towage, offshore and energy sectors. He was part of the Smit teams that delivered many well-known and complex salvage and wreck removal cases often with innovative engineering and pollution prevention requirements.
advanced and speakers booked. The full programme will be published in the coming weeks. Places are strictly limited by the venue capacity and the organisers suggest registering now to ensure securing a place. James Herbert added: “You don’t want Salvage and Wreck FOMO in December!”
Tickets are available now at: www.salvageandwreckforum.com
Captain Leendert Muller
ISU 2025 AGM - Cape Town
The ISU held its 71st annual general meeting in Cape Town in October hosted by AMSOL.
An opening reception was held in the maritime training college and it was an opportunity for delegates to gather and to meet members of the South African salvage and shipping community including lawyers and insurers.
At the AGM the formal business of ISU was conducted including elections to the executive committee and confirmation of the new president and vice president (see story, front page.)
The International Group of P&I clubs was invited to participate and the chair of its salvage committee, Ben Harris, gave a presentation about the IG and its salvage committee and he also addressed the matter of salvors’ liability insurance and the definition of the professional salvor before engaging in an open discussion with the ISU membership.
Among the subjects raised was the IG’s interest in assessing salvage capability globally and cooperation between IG and ISU.
Mthunzi Madiya, Deputy Director for Integrated Transport Planning and Maritime, South Africa Department of Transport also spoke and endorsed the ISU’s message on the importance of pollution prevention and said the role of salvors was essential and there must be an economically sustainable salvage industry. He noted the importance of South Africa’s ETVs, operated by AMSOL, protecting its 3000 km coast. He said that when considering salvage provision, “cost should not be the focus, but environmental protection.”
The ISU members also engaged in an open forum and addressed subjects including the role of salvage masters; training, recruitment and retention; the role of SCRs and the value of ISU membership.
At the conclusion of the meeting, John Witte handed the ISU presidency to his successor, Leendert Muller, Multraship Towage & Salvage.
A gala dinner was held in the evening and Dan Ngakane, CEO of AMSOL, gave a speech thanking ISU members for attending the AGM and John Witte
responded with his own thanks for the hard work and generosity of AMSOL as hosts. Mr Muller thanked John Witte for his long and distinguished service as an ISU member, executive and two-time President. He presented Mr Witte with a small sculpture of Donjon Marine’s tug, ATLANTIC SALVOR (picture below).
Pictures clockwise from below: John Witte, Leendert Muller. ISU management team (L-R) Leendert Muller, John Witte, James Herbert, Richard Gunn. AMSOL hosts (L-R) Graham Dreyden, Dan Ngakane, Clare Gomes, Richard Robertson (Smit), John Witte (Donjon). ISU Members visit to AMSOL's ETV UMKHUSELI. Ben Harris, IGP&I, addresses the AGM.
New ISU Executive Committee members
At the recent ISU AGM, Jiro Okhubo, Nippon Salvage, and Daniel Dettor, Resolve Marine, were approved by the membership as new Executive Committee members. They were welcomed by outgioing ISU president, John Witte.
The new ISU Executive Committee is: President, Leendert Muller - Multraship, The Netherlands
Vice President, Richard Janssen - SMIT Salvage, The Netherlands
Carlos Bastias - Ultratug, Chile
Dominique Caillé - Les Abeilles
Li Chang - China Rescue and Salvage
Charo Coll - Boluda Salvage, Spain
Daniel Dettor - Resolve Marine, USA
Jiro Okhubo - Nippon Salvage, Japan
Nikolaos Pappas - Five Oceans Salvage, Greece
Carlos L Paz - Raul y Negro, Argentina
Drew Shannon - United Salvage, Australia
John Witte - Donjon Marine, USA
BIMCO
Discussions continue to revise the BIMCO Wreckhire 2010 contract. It is hoped that a draft will be available for consultation in the early part of 2026 with the expectation that the new edition of the contract will be published later that year following the BIMCO approval process.
Obituary
Nan Halfweeg 1938 – 2025
Nan Halfweeg was a significant figure in the salvage industry. He started at sea on Wijsmuller tugs, spending most of the 1960s in that role before moving into marine salvage management as a Salvage Master in 1971.
He rose through the ranks to become director, having been senior salvage master and Wijsmuller’s director of operations. After 33 years he formed his own consultancy, Princess Marine, and worked for many salvage companies such as Five Oceans and Tsavliris but also conducted salvage jobs with local operators. He was also an SCR.
World Maritime University
ISU Secretary General, James Herbert, gave a talk at the IMO’s World Maritime University in Malmo Sweden as part of its Summer Academy. The popular course attracts senior figures from coastal state authorities, lawyers and other shipping industry figures. The Academy was introduced by Chancellor of the English High Court, Sir Julian Flaux. Mr Herbert commented: “This is a prestigious opportunity to inform decision makers and senior stakeholders about the salvage industry and its importance to world shipping and wider society.”
IUMI Annual Conference
ISU’s (then) vice President, Leendert Muller and Secretary General, James Herbert, represented the association at the annual IUMI conference in Singapore (picture above right). Mr Muller noted: “This is an excellent opportunity to hear about developments and issues in marine insurance, particularly the property market. And it provides a great forum to meet numerous influential figures and to emphasise the importance of the salvors in preventing loss and preserving value.”
Associate Members Day 2026
The next edition of the popular ISU Associate Members’ Day will be held on Wednesday 18 March 2026. The venue will be the dramatic Landing Forty Two near the top of the Leadenhall Building in the City of London.
Statistics
The collection, analysis and publication of industry statistics is an important role for trade associations. The ISU statistics are the only published source of information about the state of our industry. The ISU secretariat is exploring ways to make collection of statistics more efficient for members including the intention to enable submission online. New arrangements will be agreed at the Q4 ISU Executive Committee meeting and members will be informed about the new system in good time to produce the 2025 numbers.
AGM 2026 Tokyo
Nippon Salvage and Fukada Salvage are to jointly host the 2026 ISU AGM in Tokyo. ISU members are invited to note the date for the AGM has been set for Thursday 08 October 2026 with an Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday 07 October and other activities the day after the AGM, Friday 09 October.
Mr Halfweeg is remembered for his involvement in a number of iconic cases which included the ELWOOD MEAD a 120,000 dwt new build bulk carrier that grounded off Guernsey on Christmas Day 1973; the EUROPEAN GATEWAY ferry disaster in 1982 and the CASTOR which became an exemplar of the Places of Refuge issue as she toured the Mediterranean waiting for a coastal state to accept her for repair.
For the salvage of ELWOOD MEAD - and subsequent saving of the company - he received a special award: the De Ruyter Medal which was instituted in 1907 and named for the Dutch hero Admiral Michiel de Ruyter. It is given as a "Sign of Honour for the Merchant Navy" in Royal Decree.
A minute’s silence was held as the recent ISU AGM to remember Nan Halfweeg.
SMIT
SMIT Salvage said that “in response to market requirements and its continued commitment to providing high-end emergency response services” it has recently expanded its existing equipment base.
It has aquired four additional 2,000 m³ SMIT mobile inert gas generators. The units are designed for shipboard use classified by Lloyd's Register of Shipping.
Nitrogen generator sets and inert gas generators are used to produce oxygendepleted gases that protect tanks and make them inert, as well as pipelines and enclosed spaces preventing combustion and ensuring safe shipboard operations.
They are typically used for provision of inert gas during ship-to-ship / liquid transfer operations and during fire cases.
In addition, SMIT has also invested in two additional 500 m³ nitrogen generator sets, further enhancing its gas generation capacity and operational flexibility, especially for chemical cargoes.
SMIT also celebrated the milestone of having an office in Singapore for 50 years.
Against the spectacular backdrop of the Marina Bay, SMIT hosted a reception with its clients and partners to reflect on half a century of “collaboration, memorable salvage operations and above all great stories”.
The bell (below) is from SMIT’s first Singapore registered tug, MISSISSIPPI, and is rung every time the firm secures an LOF.
SMIT said: “We are proud of what we have achieved together and look forward to many more years of serving shipowners and insurers in the region.”
Tsavliris
Navy Week 2025 was celebrated in 73 seaside towns, ports and islands all over Greece for the Navy to showcase the service and its capabilities to the public. The Patras Port Authority welcomed the Hellenic Navy’s submarine OKEANOS and the Frigate ADRIAS.
Tsavliris reports that the submarine is one of the most powerful in the Hellenic Navy and she and the frigate were assisted by its Patras-based tugs PROTEAS and HERMES to dock safely at the Port of Patras.
The events offer opportunities for citizens to learn about the Navy, interact with its personnel and experience naval activities and also include equipment exhibitions.There were demonstrations by naval personnel, educational seminars, theatrical performances, music concerts, water and other sports competitions, beach cleaning and many more.
Tsavliris supported the Patras events as sponsor of the theatrical performance "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway.
Elsewhere, the 16th Hydra Shipping Conference organised by the Fraternity of the Athenian Hydriots took place in September on Hydra Island, under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Shipping and other bodies.
Leading Greek shipowners and senior managers of shipping firms, consultants, academics and members of the historical maritime families of Hydra, participated in the conference, under the Chairmanship of George Tsavliris.
Pacific Towing
PacTow describes itself as a “homegrown Papua New Guinean business”, headquartered in Port Moresby and is part of a larger maritime and land logistics division of the Steamships Group. Over the past two decades, it has completed some 100 salvage and wreck removal operations, involving bulk carriers, general cargo vessels, fishing vessels and yachts. The projects have been in PNG and Melanesia, Micronesia, Indonesia and even into northern Australia.
PacTow notes that salvage operations – including patching, sealing fuel tanks, or rigging heavy lifts – are almost always dependent on skilled divers working in hazardous conditions and it has 18 divers – all Papua New Guinean – in its commercial diving team (pictures below).
The company says that because its diving team is the only commercial diving operation permanently based in Melanesia it “ensures that PNG and neighbouring nations have 24/7 access to a highly qualified dive team, without the costs and delays of flying in specialists from more developed countries further afield. The team holds both PNG and Australian diving certifications, a rare dual qualification that guarantees compliance with regulatory frameworks.”
Resolve removes fuel from sunken cargo vessel
Resolve Marine assisted a cargo vessel involved in a collision off Kupang, Indonesia, which resulted in a loss of watertight integrity, eventually causing the vessel to capsize and sink on the coast.
There were 70m3 of hydrocarbons reported in 15 tanks located in the engine room. The vessel was sitting on the starboard sideshell, on a slope with the aft end in approximately 40m of water.
Resolve was appointed by the vessel’s P&I Club in June 2025 to assist in the recovery of the oils in the engine room tanks using hot tapping.
A supply tug was outfitted in Batam with the necessary dive and oil removal equipment mobilised from Resolve’s depot in Singapore.
All 15 tanks were pumped out and oil stored in ISO tanks on the supply tug. On successful completion of the project, the supply tug returned to Batam for demobilisation and offloading the ISO tanks for disposal in a certified disposal facility.
Elsewhere in late July, Resolve Marine was contacted regarding a fire onboard a 8,500 TEU containership located approximately 150 nm east of Nha Trang, Vietnam. The vessel suffered a fire from containers stowed on deck around the areas of Bay 33/35, Row 14, upper tier.
Resolve quickly mobilised a nine-man salvage team, comprising a salvage master, salvage officers, marine
firefighters, and a marine chemist –boarding the chartered AHTS TC HAI AN FiFi tug.
On arrival at the casualty, the team successfully boarded and conducted an assessment of the situation including assessment of the containers affected by fire.
Working with the client, periodic monitoring was established. Throughout the operation environmental testing and monitoring ensured there was no reignition and also determined the content and level of atmospheric toxicity to ensure the work site remained safe.
The casualty was safely brought to an anchorage off Nha Trang, Vietnam and subsequently transited to Hong Kong for cargo offload.
Separately, while transiting from Asia to North America, a general cargo vessel experienced shifting and crushing of cargo below deck.
Damaged cargo consisted of three IMDG Class 9 lithium-ion energy segments per 40’ container with each segment weighing approximately 9 tons.
Resolve Marine deployed a firefighting “strike team” which boarded the vessel at the Astoria, Washington anchorage to perform an initial assessment.
There was no sign of a hazardous atmosphere or thermal runaway and teams continued to perform fire watch and set up firefighting lines in case of
deteriorating conditions on the vessel.
Damaged containers were lashed in place with chain and shoring to ensure the cargo would not shift any further during transit.
The vessel then transited to Pier 2 in Portland, Oregon and once at the berth Resolve Marine’s salvage and firefighting teams successfully offloaded all damaged hazmat cargo without doing any “hot work”.
The General Cargo Vessel AST RISING6,086 dwt and laden with oil industry pipes - experienced loss of rudder off Recife, Brazil, while en-route from Recife to Soyo, Angola.
On 12 August Tsavliris mobilised the AHTS SKANDI MASTER from Recife, Brazil and on 16 August towage commenced towards Angola. On 4 September, the convoy arrived safely and the vessel anchored at Luanda anchorage. The tug provided stand-by services until 16 September when the operation was completed successfully.
Elsewhere, the General Cargo Vessel WILSON FINNFJORD - dwt 4,518 laden with steel pipes - was drifting off Kefalonia Island, Greece due to loss of propulsion.
On 30 August Tsavliris mobilised its Patras-based S/T HERMES and towed the casualty to Patras Port, Greece. The operation was completed successfully on the same day.
Associates' News
New Associate Members
Daehan Underwater Construction Co.
www.dhuc.co.kr
Contact: Jason Lee, Executive Manager
Principal activities: Underwater inspection, in-water survey, underwater cleaning and repair, harbour maintenance, marine beacon management
Rope Access Inspection (Pty) Ltd - RAI
www.rope-access.co.za
Contact: Driaan Louw, Director
Principal activities: Specialized work at height, industrial rope access and technical operations and training. Provide salvage assistance, aerial rigging, firefighting assistance, industrial pumping, container offload, heavy rigging and lifting and confined space operations.
Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO)
www.des.mod.uk
Contact: Gareth Buckley, SALMO Deputy Head – Salvage Operations
Principal activities: Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO) is a response organisation that maintains a worldwide salvage response capability, conducting operations across the globe in support of the UK Ministry of Defence.
OSC Marine Group
www.oscmarine.com
Contact: Mike Jessop, CEO
Principal activities: OSC Marine Group specialises in subsea engineering, commercial diving and offshore support services for the oil and gas, maritime, and civil infrastructure industries.
Waves Group
Waves Group has added to its Casualty Response and Management team. Senior Fire Investigator Lea McDonald has joined Paul Coates in Waves’ fire team and Waves said “their combined expertise significantly enhances our capacity to respond to the growing challenges of marine fires. We are actively supporting clients in responding to fires involving port facilities, scrap metal, containerised cargo, car carriers, ro-ro vessels, superyachts,
engine rooms and the subsequent fire investigations. In addition, our team is helping to lead industry debate on marine fire risk.”
Waves also announced that Tony Ward has joined the group from ship management where he was responsible for QHSE and incident investigation and Dirk van de Velde has also joined having previously held senior roles with shipowners with responsibility for global vessel, terminal and cargo operations and emergency response management.
Waves said: “Our team remains active across the spectrum of casualty management, including wreck removals and surveys, salvage operations, cargo liquefaction and reducing the risk of oil pollution from legacy wrecks through Project Tangaroa."
American Salvage Association
The American Salvage Association will hold its 2025 Annual Meeting on Tuesday 02 December at the New Orleans Marriott, New Orleans. ASA said the meeting is a “cornerstone gathering of industry leaders, innovators, and stakeholders in marine salvage and emergency response.”
This year’s event will feature strategic discussions, networking opportunities, and updates on key initiatives shaping the future of our industry. The Association will also be celebrating its 25th Anniversary with a special evening reception after the AGM.
Southern Ropes
The FV ELKE M, a Port Elizabeth registered 376-ton fishing trawler, measuring 33 metres in length, ran aground in a rocky area on South Africa’s Eastern Cape shoreline. The immediate priority was the safe evacuation of the crew, followed by urgent operations to contain, reduce and remove the marine fuel and lubricating oil onboard. Once done, the vessel was then deemed safe to ride out the bad weather that winter brings to this coastline.
In the operation to remove loose steel parts of the vessel the salvage team used a helicopter to lift and dispose of these parts using purpose built synthetic rope hoist lines that were specifically made by Southern Ropes for this job – its Super-12® (HMPE) 22m rope, a pennant
developed using the Super 12 strop design with an eye spliced in at each end. This material and diameter allowed for a break load of 47 tonnes which Southern Ropes noted was much higher than the lifting capacity of the helicopter.
Sloane Marine
Former ISU President, Nick Sloane, has written the Foreword to a new book “South Africa’s Super Tugs”. The book is jointly authored by Brian Ingpen and Dave Murray – well known to ISU members as an active participant in ISU events before retirement from AMSOL.
The book is full of historical insights into tug and salvage operations in South Africa as well as many examples of dramatic casualties. There is a particular focus on the powerful and well known tugs JOHN ROSS and WOLRAAD WOLTEMADE in which Nick Sloane and Dave Murray served along with many others in the salvage community. To order: https://www.supertugsbooksa.com
Fichte & Co
Fichte & Co has noted the progress made by the United Arab Emirates regarding the issue of Places of Refuge.
Jasmin Fichte of the UAE-based law firm notes that while the absence of binding international regulations makes it “difficult to obligate any state to act as a Port of Refuge, the UAE has proven its capability and willingness to play this vital role. Its recent actions underscore the country's readiness to manage complex salvage
operations, coordinate with multiple stakeholders and mitigate potential environmental and commercial risks.”
Ms Fichte and her colleague, Shehab Mamdouh, pointed out that recent casualties in the Middle East and North Africa region include the MAERSK FRANKFURT (a fire and explosion), the ASL BAUHINIA (fire in containers on board) and the WAN HAI 503 (fire and explosions) all eventually found a Port of Refuge in Jebel Ali, Dubai.
SMIT in box ship fire fighting operations
A 14,000 TEU containership recently experienced a series of explosions in a cargo hold containing dangerous goods while transiting the Malacca Straits between Port Klang and Penang, Malaysia.
SMIT Salvage was activated and immediately dispatched two teams of salvors and firefighting equipment from its Singapore response hub.
The teams arrived on-site and, with the crew's assistance, managed to control the situation and extinguished the fire to enable the casualty to be brought safely into Port Klang. SMIT subsequently assisted with the removal of the affected containers. The entire operation was completed safely without any incidents or accidents.
A 399 metre container vessel with a carrying capacity exceeding 15,000 TEU caught fire off the coast of Liberia while en-route from Rotterdam to Asia. On receiving the alert, SMIT Salvage initiated an immediate response, mobilising firefighting tugs, portable FiFi equipment and teams of salvage specialists, including a marine chemist.
Within hours, two firefighting tugs arrived on scene and, working closely with the vessel’s crew and shore support teams, successfully contained the blaze, preventing it from spreading beyond the initially affected bays.
In the days that followed, the operation was reinforced by other tugs, PSVs and specialized equipment dispatched from one of SMIT’s dedicated response hubs.
The “in-house” OSV KOMODO and terminal tug SL LOIRE were central to sustaining the effort, transferring critical
equipment at sea and enabling continuous firefighting operations.
Following a crew change and additional provision off Cape Town, the vessel resumed its voyage to Malaysia.
A salvage team and essential FiFi equipment remained on board throughout to provide preventive fire mitigation if required. Upon arrival in Tanjung Pelepas, SMIT assisted with finalizing the coordinated discharge of both damaged and intact containers, maintaining firefighting capability on board until operations are successfully completed.
SMIT said “we would like to highlight that, in addition to the efforts of the salvors, the contribution of the vessel’s crew and the use of hydropen played a significant role in achieving a successful outcome until the salvors were onboard.”
Offshore Kollam in India a container vessel carrying 640 containers encountered difficulties and eventually sank. Resting at a depth of more than fifty metres, the vessel had embedded its starboard side six meters deep into the seabed.
SMIT Salvage was contracted to recover the 500 tonnes of oil onboard to prevent leakage into surrounding waters. The operation required the installation of hot-tap connections on the tank walls, enabling hoses to be fitted and the oil to be pumped into replacement tanks on auxiliary vessels.
Given its earlier successful application, an abrasive cutting system was deployed for the purpose of cutting through the vessel’s hull to facilitate access to its tanks and compartments for installation of the hot-tap. The salvors deployed an ROV
The two lawyers added: “Streamlining the processes by providing a national regulation of a Port of Refuge and officially recognizing respective UAE Ports as such, would certainly provide involved parties with further confidence and we are confident that the UAE maritime administration is already working on respective regulations and will issue a ministerial resolution by the end of this year.”
from a SAT diving vessel and the vessel’s crane positioned beacons on the seabed to enable precise and safe positioning directly above the wreck.
With the assistance of the ROV, various obstructions such as ropes and fishing nets were removed, creating a clear and safe working environment. Saturation divers then commenced 24-hour underwater operations to complete the task.
This round-the-clock effort proved crucial, as the project faced considerable pressure from the Indian authorities to empty the vessel’s bunkers as quickly as possible.
Salvors and insurers are increasingly concerned about container ship fires which happen with concerning frequency.
Atlantic Towage and Marine lifts sunken fishing vessel
In June, Atlantic Towage and Marine undertook the lifting of a sunken fishing vessel at Dumore East in County Waterford, Ireland. Salvage Master, Sean Harrington, conducted a full assessment of the WHITE HEATHER which had come to rest by the harbour steps at the end of the East Wharf, fully submerged but accessible from shore.
The assessment included meetings with the Harbour Master and representatives from the vessel’s insurers, along with an evaluation of tidal conditions, access routes for divers, and potential crane positions. A 230 tonne mobile crane was mobilised along with a five-man dive team to undertake the recovery the following day.
The crane was positioned and rigged on the East Wharf and divers carried out visual inspection and cleared sediment from around the bow and stern to expose suitable points for the lifting slings.
Harbor Star - refloating
In August, MV SAKIZAYA ACE, a Panamax bulk carrier fully laden with industrial salt, ran aground on the feature "Queen of the Sea Bank" in the Sulu Sea 19 nm off Palawan, Philippines.
The owners contracted Harbor Star Shipping Services, Inc. to salvage the vessel. Four salvage tugs, including Tug CAPELLA towing the deck barge, were mobilized. Divers confirmed the vessel was hard aground but with no hull breaches. To reduce draft, 1,675 tonnes of industrial salt were offloaded to SB MARGARET ANN along with additional pumping of water ballast to increase trim by the stern.
On 08 September during a +1.2 metre high tide, a coordinated refloating was conducted. Three tugs applied astern bollard pull while ballast was pumped out.
On reaching the “zero” ground reaction the vessel gradually moved astern and was refloated. A tank inspection followed while the vessel was towed by Tugs JABBAH, ZANIAH and CAPELLA to deeper waters.
Tug ZANIAH then escorted the vessel
A controlled lift was initiated, carefully bringing up the WHITE HEATHER. When the gunwales broke the surface, pumps were deployed to remove water from the hull, gradually improving buoyancy and reducing load. When dewatering was complete, the vessel was lifted clear of the water and landed safely onto the quayside.
Temporary repairs were carried out and an Atlantic Towage and Marine tug towed the casualty to a shipyard where it was
lifted out for a full repair.
Atlantic’s Ian Harrington said: “The WHITE HEATHER recovery demonstrated the efficiency of our coordinated shorebased salvage operations within confined harbour environments. Despite tidal windows and limited working space, the combined efforts of the salvage team, dive team and crane crew ensured the salvage operation was completed safely, on schedule, and without further damage.
to Dumaran for safe anchorage, with other support vessels assisting in the backloading of cargo.
Harbor Star deployed a dive team to perform underwater repairs on a damaged propeller in line instructions from the attending class surveyor and the cracked blade was restored to operational condition in accordance with technical standards. The maintenance was completed successfully over two days, and the site was cleared upon completion.
