Fokko Ringersma, Managing Director Mammoet Salvage:
Thinking outside the box Mammoet Salvage has established itself as a leading international salvage company on the basis of “Smart solutions, united experience.” This means thinking outside the box and having the engineering capacity and asset base to support smart solutions. Along with wreck removal projects, this division of Mammoet undertakes emergency response salvage and decommissioning jobs.
Salvage
Managing Director Fokko Ringersma is proud of his division’s success and looks forward to its continued development. Ringersma: “Our company is thriving, with a growing team of dedicated professionals. In addition to Mammoet’s long standing network of depots, we now have dedicated Salvage depots in Houston, Singapore and Schiedam, and sales offices in London and Korea. We have a wide range of emergency response equipment in a custom-bonded area at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, ready for global dispatch at any time. A network of subcontractors all around the world helps support our operations. This global presence allows us to take on both emergency response salvage and major wreck removal projects.”
Salvage projects Mammoet Salvage recently began work on a wide range of projects. The largest is the wreck removal of the B. Oceania, a bulk carrier transporting 67,000 tons of iron ore that sank in the busy Straits of Malacca after a collision in 2011. Ringersma: “The position of the ship in the channel leading to Singapore was a critical factor in the bid for work. The major challenge is that other ships often pass extremely close by. Safe navigation requirements are therefore particularly demanding. In addition to our working
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pontoon, we have an observation post with radar and communications equipment, along with two additional ships patrolling the area in order to warn approaching vessels. In 2012, we made good progress on this wreck removal project. We recovered the cargo, the engine room section, and the bow and accommodation block. Now we are clearing the double bottom sections between the engine room and the bow. The project is well on schedule, and we hope to have it completed by spring 2013. Environmental protection is an important component of this project - we carefully dispose of all recovered cargo and scrap while also offsetting our carbon emissions.” Salvage has also invested in a customized directional drilling system, designed by Mammoet Solutions. This is used to place cutting and lifting chains under the Oceania wreck. The Mauritania ships’ graveyard project was completed in fall 2012 with the removal of the 74th shipwreck from Nouadhibou Bay. Ringersma: “We completed this project well before the deadline. The wrecks were removed and dismantled safely. Environmental protection was an especially important consideration, as we were dealing with hazardous materials, including asbestos. Mammoet runs its business with great
care for the local environment and community. While working on the project, we made generous donations to the Nouadhibou Bay community, among others to Enfant du Monde, and we sponsored the Nouadhibou Marathon two years in a row. It’s all part of our Corporate Social Responsibility Program. Additionally, we improved the local infrastructure and set up an education program for Nouadhibou residents. By hiring personnel locally, we provided not only employment, but also practical, on-the-job training. This project will have long-term environmental benefits, as we have prevented future toxic emissions from harmful materials.”
Oil industry projects Projects involving offshore oil and gas platforms are another important market for Mammoet, given our petrochemical and offshore experience and our salvage expertise. We demonstrated our strength in this market during our work on the Pico lift boat, which was positioned in near proximity to a platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The lift boat toppled over, and the topside of the boat and the top end of the legs broke
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