December 2018
INTERNATIONAL SALVAGE UNION
ISU outlines new vision for the salvage industry
The following is an edited version of the keynote speech given by ISU President, Ms Charo Coll, (above) at the Salvage and Wreck Conference, London 05 December 2018 Over the last two years the leadership of the ISU has been concerned that its messages and tone have been out of line with the realities of our side of the industry – the supply side – and the realities of the demand side of the industry – the owners and their insurers, both property and liability. ISU has been through a period of change in the past decade with increasing professionalism and development and expansion of the membership.
increasing use of alternative contracts that were not necessarily intended for emergency situations requiring immediate response. It has also led to the erosion of the core strength of the Lloyd’s Open Form by the use of side agreements – albeit, as far as Lloyd’s is aware, there are very few of them.
The shipping and insurance industries must – in their own interests – recognise the need to provide sufficient compensation to encourage investment in vessels, equipment, training and the development of highly qualified staff in order to continue to provide an essential, global emergency response capability.
Gross revenue for ISU members in 2017 from all activities was US$ 456 million. It compares with US$ 380 million in 2016 and that is a 20 percent increase but still far from the US$ 717 million in 2015.
Turning now to the demand side of the industry – the owners, property insurers and Clubs. The latest 2017 IUMI statistics show that premium income from hull and cargo combined was $23 billion. It means that total salvage industry income is just 2% of total marine property insurance premium income.
Revenue from Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) cases in 2017 was US$ 54 million which is the lowest since 1999 and continues the downward trend of LOF. At the same time, revenue from operations conducted under contracts other than LOF has risen significantly. We are well-aware of the suggestion to consider a new version of LOF, the so called LOF “light”. But the ISU Executive and members do not support the initiative and cannot support the use of LOF to adopt a tariff-based form of Article 13 remuneration. We do not believe that will provide adequate an incentive to undertake salvage operations.
ISU is fortunate that it is a generally well regarded and meaningful organisation for its members. We believe that the ISU has a reputation as professional, fair and reasonable. We also think that the industry has a good reputation but we do recognise that there have been concerns about some behaviour in recent years.
The intense competition has led to the
This is exactly where the salvor can add value to property insurers. ISU members can work with their clients proactively to help mitigate risk and, if the worst does happen, are best placed to make helpful interventions to reduce loss. The liability insurers, the P & I Clubs, in contrast, have not experienced the same pressures. International Group statistics show, as one key indicator, that the number of claims on the IG pool follow a clear downward trend for the past nine years. Further, individual clubs have seen no general increase in calls and have even returned cash to members. At the same time, we know that individual cases may be much more expensive for the Clubs and the IG pool and re-insurers these days.
We are in a positive position as an association so we are ready to build for the future from solid foundations. Let me first describe the context as the ISU sees it and then move on to our response to the conditions. For our members – the supply side of the industry – there is much pressure, mainly through intense competition; a reduced number of jobs and generally lower income. Competition is between the ISU members and there is also competition from non-members.
But we do understand the pressures on those who pay for our services. IUMI has said publicly that the “hull sector remains a serious concern”. IUMI points out that in the past ten years there has been an increasing volatility in the impact of claims and as vessel size continues to increase, this trend will not reverse.
Shipowners have also experienced very difficult conditions since the 2008 economic crash. It is clear from our members and the industry statistics that, even compared with just a few years ago, the commercial environment has changed to the extent that it is not really possible to sustain a traditional, stand-alone salvage business based on “no-cure, no-pay” jobs with tugs kept on station. 1
ISU acknowledges these are difficult times for our partners and we cannot be seen to ignore reality – both our own and that of others. We must therefore be a forward-looking. There is no appetite or need for revolutionary change to ISU but we must confidently evolve and match our Continues on page 2
New vision for ISU continued corporate positioning with the reality of the industries we serve. We must not “cling to the past.” To help us focus we have defined our core purpose: To be the credible, trusted and unified global voice of its members who facilitate world trade by providing marine services which save life, protect the environment, mitigate risk and reduce loss. And that core purpose is supported by the commitment that ISU will: • Encourage high standards of operation and conduct by its members. • Promote the value and benefit of its members’ services including protection of the marine environment. • Engage with shipowners, insurers and other key stakeholders to represent its members’ interests. • Work with IMO, and others to improve delivery of marine services and safety at sea. • And ISU will be a source of information and expertise about marine salvage and
major marine projects and promote best practice and cooperation.
delivering complex projects particularly with the removal of wrecks.
We need to make sure that we put out strong messages that ISU members offer core salvage services which protect the environment and prevent disasters. We do not think we have shouted loudly enough about our contribution to environmental protection. We must not overlook that in 2017 ISU members’ operations involved vessels carrying more than 3 million tonnes of pollutants. Of course not all of that was going to go into the sea, but, without our interventions, there would undoubtedly have been some substantial pollution events.
We also want to increase our engagement with key stakeholders particularly among ship owners and managers and to continue to engage and perhaps reconnect with the IG, IUMI, ICS and others. We also want to establish better contact with stakeholders representing wider civil society, particularly the marine-focussed environmental groups.
Another key message is that our members facilitate global trade through their salvage operations. They keep ports open and keep goods moving in a commercial world where containerships are giant, floating, moving warehouses. We want salvors to be seen as partners with property owners who mitigate risk and minimise loss. Also to be recognised as creative, innovative, safe contactors who have great experience of excellent project management, successfully
To conclude, ISU must promote the full range of its members’ services and the value they add. The traditional business model of salvage with tugs on station is no longer viable – although there are still a large number of salvage tugs available worldwide. That is not to say that ISU members do not invest in salvage – they do, with an emphasis on portable equipment, technology, people and training and there are still a large number of salvage tugs. We want the increasingly diverse work of the traditional salvor to be recognised and valued and rewarded sufficiently to support the continued availability of professional salvage services.
Salvage and Wreck Conference news Dramatic shipping loss statistics Rahul Khanna, Global Head of Marine Risk Consulting, Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty, said there were 94 total losses in 2017 with a ten year average of 113 total losses – a 38% fall over the period attributed to better regulation; self-improvement by owners; the impact of Port State Control and good work by salvors.
The region encompassing the South China Sea, Indonesia, the Philippines and Indo China is the worst area for total losses with 252 in the past ten years. Captain Khanna noted that Friday is the most “dangerous day” and November the most “dangerous month” - but that is driven partly by the typhoon season in the Far East. Taking emerging risks, Captain Khanna painted a worst case scenario of the loss of a large cruise ship and containership after collision in sensitive waters which could cost US$ 4 billion. Cyber risk, arctic operations and fires on mega boxships are all a concern. And the human factor is still at the root of 75-80% of all incidents. LOF "Light" A panel of experts was assembled to give their reaction to the so-called LOF “light”, tariff-based version of Lloyd’s Open Form – a concept developed by Martin Hall of Clyde and Co. 2
Per Åge Nygård of the Norwegian Hull Club said he was very positive about the concept. He was also supportive of LOF in its current form but said it was not right for every case. Jeff Lock of the UK P&I Cub identified the “need for a viable salvage industry”, but suggested that the problem with LOF was disproportionate awards for low value cases. Lloyds arbitrator, Elizabeth Blackburn QC, said that the concept was worth considering for rescue tows and more simple cases but she reminded the delegates that LOF awards must contain an element of “encouragement” which is a legal requirement. Richard Gunn, partner at Reed Smith, was unconvinced. He said: "I see no particular need to move away from LOF as it stands, the concensus is that it is a good contract”. And the salvors on the panel were, unsurprisingly, not supportive of the concept. A show of hands from the delegates indicated three supporters.
Members’ News Multraship
Global Diving & Salvage
Multraship, and its innovation arm, Novatug, have won the Maritime KVNR Shipping Award 2018 for their Carrousel RAVE TUG (CRT) design.
Global has led a demonstration of the mobile ballast water treatment system, Ballast Responder, on board the bulk carrier TIM S DOOL on the Great Lakes. Global said that the equipment was operational within eight hours of arrival and the first set of tanks were fully treated, neutralized and ready to discharge after 20 hours. The mobile ballast water treatment system was developed by Glosten in cooperation with Global, the US Geological Survey and US National Park Service.
The award was presented to Leendert Muller, managing director of Multraship, in Amsterdam (see picture above) during the Maritime Awards Gala, an annual event organised by the Stichting Maritime Awards Gala foundation representing Netherlands Maritime Technology, The Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners (KVNR), Royal Netherlands Society for Marine Technology, Maritime by Holland and the Netherlands National Institute for Shipping and Shipbuilding. The KVNR Shipping Award 2018 noted a combination of “successful realisation and implementation with a vision for the future”. The CARROUSEL RAVE TUG is a revolutionary design which makes it easier, safer and more environmentally friendly to work with seagoing vessels at much higher speeds than those which conventional tugs can achieve and without the risk of capsizing. The CRT cannot capsize by towline force. It uses the mass and momentum of the assisted ship to do its job.
The small mobile system is designed to be easily transported to any location to treat vessels that have unmanaged or untreated ballast water in port, grounding, or other emergency situations. The Great Lakes demonstration was supported by the National Park Service and the Chamber of Marine Commerce. The first test treated three ballast water tanks totalling 2,400 cubic metres of water that was taken up in Lake Ontario. The ballast water was treated and neutralized in-tank during the transit through the Welland Canal and then discharged in Lake Erie. “Having the ability to perform contingency treatment of ballast water on ships that are working the Great Lakes is very important to us,” said Phyllis Green, Superintendent of Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior. David DeVilbiss, VP of Casualty & Emergency Response for Global Diving Irish ISU member, Atlantic Towage and Marine, purchased a Multicat earlier this year - OCEAN SUPPORTER - seen here on manoeuvres.
Leendert Muller said: “We are delighted to have won the prestigious KVNR award. The CRT has been two decades in the making and its time has arrived. It not only represents a major improvement in terms of technology, performance and crew safety, but also results in much lower levels of fuel consumption than can be achieved with a conventional tug, resulting in savings of at least 40 per cent on an average operation.”
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& Salvage added: “We are excited to now offer this service to the Great Lakes.” Donjon and Smit ISU members Donjon Marine and Smit Salvage have secured the five-year marine salvage contracts to serve as the exclusive marine salvage and engineering support contractors for the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), the division of the U.S. Navy responsible for engineering, building, buying and maintaining Navy ships and submarines. The two firms will separately provide the US Navy with marine salvage, salvagerelated towing, ocean engineering and towage services in the event of an emergency or incident anywhere in the world. The US Navy’s salvage contracts divide the world into three zones. Donjon Marine has been awarded one of the three contracts covering the entirety of the Atlantic Oceans, Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas. Smit has been awarded the other two contracts covering a zone between the Suez Canal and the international dateline and for a second zone between the dateline and the US West Coast. Separately from the US Navy contracts, Smit Salvage and Donjon Marine have a well-established joint venture - DonjonSmit - to provide salvage services to vessels trading in US waters under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA-90).
Ardent refloats casualty in Iceland has the power to take over operations at its discretion. During the operation, the state of list changed and it was confirmed that the engine room was flooded and other compartments were either flooded or contained water and there was evident hull cracking. Bunker removal was undertaken as an environmental protection precaution and the casualty was stabilised by installing securing lines to shore. The FJORDVIK grounded in Iceland in early November and Ardent sent a two man team from the Netherlands immediately to the scene. A Lloyd's Open Form was agreed between the owners and Ardent the same day and a full salvage team was mobilised. The team was supported by Ardent from its offices in the Netherlands and Singapore. Ardent had worked in Iceland previously with local company KöfunarϷonusta Sigurdar ehf (sic) and retained them
to assist with this project. The casualty site was only five minutes’ drive from the airport and, on arrival, the Ardent team found FJORDVIK had a list to port estimated at 7 – 10 degrees and was rolling against the breakwater and with lively motion. A walkway was constructed to give safe access to the ship. Equipment was mobilised by Ardent’s local sub-contractor and further salvage kit was dispatched from its warehouse in the Netherlands. Throughout the operation, Ardent said it liaised closely with the authorities and local stakeholders. In Iceland, the Coast Guard
In challenging conditions, the vessel was prepared for re-floating, including compartment pressurisation and water removal, and the vessel was successfully re-floated with the assistance of three tugs. Following re-float the casualty was kept in a stable condition with ongoing salvage interventions while being prepared for dry docking. Following a successful towage, the ship was placed into dry dock in Hafnarfjordur for repairs. Ardent’s involvement was for some two weeks and it praised the practical approach of the authorities throughout the operation.
Five Oceans Salvage operational update Five Oceans Salvage operatives undertaking patching operations in Nigeria.
In October, Five Oceans Salvage signed an LOF with the owners of the bulk carrier TITAN - 57,000 tonnes dwt and in ballast - that was immobilised about 700 nautical miles north-east of Mauritius.
In November, FOS was awarded another LOF for the bulk carrier EFI THEO 45,000 dwt and laden with 16,000 tonnes of wheat. The casualty was in collision with ARVIKA, in the Warri River, Nigeria, while enroute to Warri for discharge.
FOS sent its station-keeping salvage tug IONIAN SEA FOS from Port Louis, Mauritius to assist. The tug reached the casualty and took her under tow to Port Louis. The tug remained standing by while vessel repairs were completed before TITAN resumed her voyage and IONIAN SEA FOS was released.
The collision meant the EFO THEO sustained hull damage on her starboard side extending from deck to keel and she had subsequently run aground. The No 3 cargo hold and double bottom were flooded and FOS mobilized a full salvage team of team of 27 salvors, divers, welders and fitters to patch the vessel 4
prior to dewatering and refloating. The local tug SEINA 2 was chartered to attend together with supply vessel TOPAZ RESOLVE that will act as an accommodation craft and work and diving platform during the ongoing operation. One Nigerian Navy armed patrol boat is in attendance at the site at all times and armed Navy personnel are onboard the casualty to protect the salvage personnel, crew and craft from pirates. SCOPIC is invoked.
ISU News Marine journalists’ lunch ISU President, Charo Coll, and members of the Executive Committee hosted international marine journalists for a lunch in London in early December. It was an opportunity for ISU to build relationships with influential reporters and editors and to brief them about current issues in the salvage industry.
Right ISU members at the AGM. Below Joseph Farrell participates in the Open Forum discussing ISU policy.
Ms Coll explained to the reporters the current commercial context of the industry and the new positioning of the ISU.
to shipping and the wider economy and environment.
Associate Members’ Day 2019 ISU will be holding it popular Associate Members’ Day Conference on Wednesday 20 March 2019. The venue is the Merchant Taylors’ Hall in the City of London. A key address will be given by the UK shipping minister, Nusrat Ghani MP. Other sessions will include casualty case studies and explore the perspective of the salvage industry’s supporting professions and suppliers. The event will conclude with an evening drinks reception. Booking arrangements will be circulated in the new year. AGM ISU held its 64th Annual General Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, on 25 October.
preventing loss and facilitating trade. ISU re-stated its commitment to promote unamended Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) which remains a central part of salvage provision. But members recognise that its use has diminished and is unlikely to return to historic levels. At the meeting, ISU members were briefed about a new suggestion, the socalled “LOF-light” contract, and agreed that ISU would not support it. Speaking at the AGM, President of the ISU, Ms Charo Coll, said: “ISU knows well the reality in which its members operate. We don’t want to make radical change but we do want to make sure that the ISU continues to be respected and trusted and that its work reflects the market and modern salvage. “We are positive about our contribution
"It is our job to make sure that the increasingly diverse work of the traditional salvor is recognised and valued and that the rewards are sufficient to support the continued availability of professional salvage services in the future.” The AGM included an open forum discussing current issues and ISU policies and was briefed about the legal context for salvage in South Africa by Gavin Fitzmaurice, Partner with Webber Wentzel of Cape Town, and President of the Maritime Law Association of South Africa. Charo Coll also paid tribute to Nippon Salvage's hugely experienced and respected Yoshiaki Nishibe who is leaving the ISU Executive Committee after more than 15 years service. Members also enjoyed a gala dinner and some took a tour of the SA AMANDLA, the powerful ocean-going salvage tug in which many people connected with ISU have served.
AGM delegates vist the SA AMANDLA. Left to right James Herbert, Matthias Reinarz, Leendert Muller, Pascal Potrel, Captain Russel Duse, Joe Farrell Jr, Chief Officer Lennox Ludidi, Ringo Chau, Sukekazu Shimonishi, Mark Hoddinott, Sean Harrington, Bas Coppes.
ISU President, Charo Coll, welcomes delegates to the AGM
At the meeting, members of the ISU were briefed about the Executive Committee’s strategy work and agreed a new vision for the ISU – to be more forward looking and to communicate more strongly about the contribution its members make towards mitigating the impact of marine incidents, 5
Associates’ and Affiliates’ News New Associate Member VMAX Marine Contact: V Seva 23 Shipyard Road Singapore 628129 +65 6267 4248 E-mail: operations@vmax-marine.com Website: www.vmax-marine.com Waves Group Waves Group (incorporating Cwaves and Mwaves), reports that it has operated globally in many projects in 2018. In the early part of the year, Waves managed the removal of the wreck of a general cargo vessel on behalf of the P&I insurers from a challenging location in the Guangdong province of China, overseeing what Waves described as “significant technical challenges and conditions”.
Simon Burnay
The project required on-site attendance and support from the multi-disciplinary team in the London headquarters. In addition, Waves has also attended and managed cases in French Polynesia, South Korea, Japan, Kenya and Morocco and has ongoing projects in the Caribbean and the Falkland Islands.
Two key members of the Waves Group’s casualty response team have been approved to join the Lloyd’s SCR panel. Simon Burnay and Allan Stuart, both naval architects, have great experience in casualty management and technical expertise when handling salvage and wreck removal cases. They join Waves Group’s longstanding SCR, Nigel James. MFB MFB says it has strengthened its casualty response team with the recruitment of Kevin Cooper from Ince & Co’s London office where he was a partner for over ten years. He has significant experience in the handling of casualties across all shipping sectors - including offshore oil and gas and yachting. Also joining MFB, is Nick Wilson who was previously a partner at Bentley Stokes and Lowless and has handled a wide range of casualty cases including groundings, fires, explosions and unsafe port cases. And Matthew Montgomery joins from HFW, where he developed particular expertise in handling salvage and marine casualty cases. MFB said the three new lawyers add “further depth and experience” to its existing casualty response team, which includes Helene Peter-Davies - recently promoted to partner - and Peter Harris both of whom have significant marine casualty and salvage experience. InterManager InterManager, the international trade association for the ship management sector, has launched a campaign to encourage seafarers to think about safety issues when working in enclosed spaces and to identify measures which they believe would reduce risks.
“Often seafarers are considered to be part of the problem. We are encouraging them to be part of the solution by sharing their experiences and points of view.” InterManager has established a committee to consider seafarers’ responses with a view to producing industry guidelines and sharing best practice. Captain Kuba Szymanski said: “This campaign puts seafarers in the driving seat and allows them to take charge of this risk to their lives.” Encouraging seafarers to share their views, he said: “We want to know what you believe is the best response to take when working in enclosed spaces – the approach you feel will make a real difference.” Requesting ship operators to encourage their crew members to take part, he said: “Please ask your team for their ideas, comments or suggestions. It is important for us that as many crew members as possible participate.” Solis Solis Marine Consultants has announced the appointment of Nigel Clark to its senior management team in London and the arrival of Jeff Seale, Master Mariner, at its Singapore office. Nigel Clark was, until recently, Managing Director of Braemar Salvage Association and will assist the Solis Marine management team with the preparation and implementation of a strategic plan for the further expansion of the Group. He brings to the organisation over 30 years’ of experience in marine consultancy and in the oil and gas sectors.
Announcing the campaign during the Crew Connect event in Manila, Philippines, Captain Kuba Szymanski, InterManager Secretary General, said: “The shipping industry has produced a wealth of rules, procedures, guidelines and leaflets concerned with the risks of working in enclosed spaces aboard vessels and yet seafarers are still dying while engaged in these activities. Allan Stuart
Waves is also opening a new office in Singapore. It is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2019.
“We want to hear from the seafarers themselves to find out why fatal mistakes are still being made. Are we missing a trick here? Is there something we haven’t taken into consideration?
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Nigel Clark
Jeff Seale has significant experience as a surveyor, particularly in the Far East, with heavy lift cargoes, including passage through the Northern Sea Route via the Continues on page 7
Associates’ and Affiliates’ News continued Solis Marine has offices in London, Singapore and Shanghai and has plans to open further offices in strategic locations in the near future. Intercargo Intercargo reports that its membership has increased significantly and stands at 138 full members with 2,177 bulkers entered with the association - about 20% of the number of vessels in the global dry bulk carrier fleet. There are also 72 associate members.
Jeff Seale
Bering Strait during winter. He has also approved towing operations and carried out all types of marine surveys, Flag State inspections, auditing and damage assessments. Solis Marine was established in 2012 and is an independent company providing expert witness and all types of incident investigation services as well as salvage support, SCR attendances and casualty management to the maritime industry. Welcoming the new appointments, John Simpson, Senior Partner at Solis Marine, said: “We are delighted to have Nigel and Jeff join us to strengthen the team as we continue with our plans to grow Solis Marine and prepare for the next phase of our development. Both bring considerable experience and knowledge of the industry, which will be invaluable.”
Intercargo’s own statistics for its entered fleet during the last year demonstrate that its members’ vessels significantly outperform industry averages in their Port State Control (PSC) detentions to inspections ratio and also in their PSC deficiencies to inspections ratio. Secretary General, Dr Kostas G Gkonis, noted that this has been the result of the stringent criteria applied for adding vessels of members and new membership. “We have had to put a significant number of ship registration applications on hold in the last two years, but we hope that existing and new member applicants appreciate the reasons and will continue to support our association,” he said. Intercargo has also reported on safety matters. It noted 2017 was marked by the tragic losses of STELLAR DAISY, carrying iron ore, and EMERALD STAR, with a nickel ore cargo, causing the loss of 32 seafarers, the highest annual loss of lives since 2011.
IUMI makes progress with large loss database Chair of IUMI’s Facts & Figures Committee, Donald Harrell, has reported a successful conclusion to IUMI’s large loss database pilot project. “For the past year, we have been running a project to understand if it is feasible for IUMI, through its member associations, to collect hull and cargo claims data for large losses. Once collected, we also wanted to understand if it was possible to organise that data in such a way as to deliver meaningful information to marine underwriters. I am pleased to say that the initial phase of our project has been a success and we now look forward to widening our network of participants and strengthening our database”.
IUMI’s Facts & Figures Committee has overseen the collection of marine insurance information for many years, but it has not – until now – been involved in the significant collection of global loss data. Over the past few months, a small group of IUMI member associations from Belgium, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden and Singapore has submitted data relevant to individual hull and cargo losses over US$250,000. The Boston Consulting Group was engaged as an independent party to “cleanse” the raw data, eliminate inconsistencies and identify trends and conclusions. After almost a year, IUMI says it has proved that member associations are willing and able to deliver data in a usable 7
Intercargo believes that the submission of good casualty investigation reports without undue delays would greatly benefit the industry. Intercargo has already commended the Isle of Man Ship Registry, the Flag Administration of the CHESHIRE, for the timely publication and the clarity of its Casualty Investigation Report, which allowed the IMO and Intercargo to consider corrective actions, for example, in relation to the IMSBC code. Intercargo said the importance of investigating an incident and the subsequent publication of a casualty investigation report “cannot be over stated” and that the dry bulk industry expects “strict compliance” with IMO’s Casualty Investigation Code, which might even necessitate a “naming and shaming” enforcement process. Hill Dickinson Hill Dickinson has appointed two senior lawyers to join its Hong Kong office. Counsel and registered foreign lawyer Edward Liu, a qualified solicitor in England and Wales and a lawyer in China, joins the team as counsel from Reed Smith Richards Butler. Counsel Antony Cowie is an England and Wales and Hong Kong qualified lawyer with considerable experience in the Far East. He has worked both in private practice, as well as in-house with a leading shipbroker and more recently as head of legal and insurance for one of the leading shipmanagers.
format and in sufficient quantity to allow meaningful analysis to be performed and for trends to emerge. Mr Harrell said: "The next step in the process is to widen the network of contributors to include as many IUMI member associations as possible. This is likely to take some time as many do not currently request this data from their own national memberships and will need to implement a process to do so. Working with the Boston Consulting Group, we will create a reporting framework for our members to help standardise the data we expect to receive from an ever-widening constituency. We recognise that our database is a work-in-progress, but we are delighted to have proved the concept and built a solid foundation on which to move forward”.
Global Diving and Salvage in Columbia River cleanup
Collection of derelict vessels before removal
In August 2017, Global Diving and Salvage was awarded a contract by the Oregon Department of State Lands to remove a flotilla of 11 derelict commercial vessels, debris and dock structures from a state-owned leasehold on the Columbia River – the largest river in the Pacific North West. The job site was near Goble, Oregon, 70 nautical miles upriver from the Pacific Ocean. The area provides a critical habitat to salmon, osprey and other species of birds, fish and mammals. And the river is important for fishing, shipping and recreation. The vessels to be removed were a 300ton dredging vessel; the RIVER QUEEN, an 800-ton former car ferry; a 300-ton crane barge; three steel-hulled material barges; a steel tugboat; two wooden tugs; a motor vessel and a sailing boat. When the project was tendered, three vessels at the site had already sunk and the remaining derelict vessels had the potential to release thousands of gallons of diesel, heavy fuel oil and other contaminants into the river. The US Coast Guard conducted initial work on the vessels, removing the bulk hydrocarbons from accessible tanks and removing hazardous fluids and solids and an asbestos removal team began work on the RIVER QUEEN. Global’s initial work included booming around the site to contain any leaks and debris and dive and environmental crews conducting video surveys of all vessels above and below water. The two wooden tugs and the motor
vessel had sunk and the other vessels were in various stages of disrepair. RIVER QUEEN was the top priority for removal because of her potential pollution risk and most of the other vessels were moored or sunk in place around the former car ferry. It meant they would have to be removed before the RIVER QUEEN could be accessed. Over several months, Global dewatered the floating vessels to maintain buoyancy until they could be towed to a shipyard upstream for disposal. The decks of the floating vessels were cleared of several tons of debris including scrap metal, timbers, tyres, broken construction equipment and camping trailers.
She was structurally unsound and couldn’t be towed upriver to the shipyard, and Global developed a plan to remove the vessel’s topside structures and the cantilevered car deck in situ, leaving just the steel hull. After those elements were removed the vessel’s hull was placed into a floating drydock and towed to the shipyard for final breaking. At the shipyard crews continued their work on the hull, followed by teams using wire saws and torches to cut the hull into portions that could be lifted out by crane.
A derrick barge was used for lifting and a clamshell used to remove the sunken wooden vessels from the river bottom. At the shipyard Abandoned vessel hauled out of the river on roller bags upstream, rollerbags were used to haul the vessels up the boat ramp onto shore. Global said the rollerbags were a more Once the RIVER QUEEN was removed, cost-effective and environmentally Global removed all remaining mooring friendly approach than using cranes. The pilings and dock structures and the area vessels were rolled into a containment was returned to its natural state. area and carefully broken up for recycling and disposal. Global said the project “relied on The RIVER QUEEN itself - a 215-foot steel-hulled former car and passenger steamship ferry that had been turned into a floating restaurant and dance hall in the 1960s had fallen into disrepair. 8
clear communication between the many parties involved, including subcontractors, state agencies, environmental permitting agencies and the US Coast Guard.”
Tsavliris steers casualty through the Corinth Canal In October, the general cargo vessel IBRAHIM KONAN - 8,107 tones dwt and en route from Italy to Bulgaria, laden with 2,520 tonnes of refusederived fuel (RDF) - was immobilised due to main and auxiliary engine failure about 45 miles north west of Cephalonia island, Greece. Tsavliris’ tug, PROTEAS - 45 TBP - was sent from her station at Patras, Greece, to the casualty and commenced towage to Patras. A salvage master and salvage engineer boarded the vessel and Tsavliris' tug HERMES I - 20 TBP - arrived on site to assist and towage to Gulluk, Turkey, commenced via the Corinth Canal with HERMES I connected at the stern of the tow as a steering tug before she was released. Adverse weather forced the convoy to reduce speed and shelter south of Amorgos Island for several hours. The convoy subsequently arrived safely and the vessel anchored at Gulluk before re-delivery and demobilisation of PROTEAS. Elsewhere in October, the container ship CSL VIRGINIA - 66,644 tonnes dwt – was contacted by the Tunisian Ferry ULYSSE - 17,907 tonnes grt - while anchored north off northern Corsica. The ferry had been enroute from Genoa to Tunis. The CSL VIRGINIA suffered several metres of hull breach to her starboard side and the ferry’s bow sustained serious damage. Oil pollution was noted in the area. Tsavliris Salvage was engaged to provide salvage and anti-pollution services. A salvage team, including divers, was mobilised from Greece. After several days, the two vessels separated due to increased movement of ULYSSE. The tugs TOSCANA, PACINI and the anti-pollution oil recovery vessel AEGIS I, equipped with anti-pollution gear, were mobilised from Livorno and Piraeus respectively. Anti-pollution services including pumping of a significant quantity of fuel oil collected by skimming into AEGIS I’s tanks.
After completion of the services and inspections by the French and Italian authorities and classification society, the CSL VIRGINIA was permitted to sail under her own means, escorted by AEGIS I. On 30 October the convoy arrived safely at the anchorage of Bozcaada island in the Aegean Sea and services were terminated. 9
Elsewhere, in early November, the bulker PAOLA BOTTIGLIERI - 93,260 dwt and fully laden with grain - was immobilized due to loss of her starboard anchor at San Lorenzo roads, Argentina. The tug COOPOR ESTIBADOR - 60 TBP - was deployed by Tsavliris from San Lorenzo to provide standby and escorting services to Recalada, Argentina in line with Coastguard regulations and operation was completed on 6 November.
International Monitor Australia The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has issued an update about new materials acquired for its nine strategic equipment stockpiles of marine pollution response equipment around the Australian coastline. Stocks of dispersant are stored at the strategic locations as well as at other key locations. Other supplies include: • NOFI Current Buster (Adelaide) • Upgrades of all other 8 NOFI Current Buster nets to improved floating net (all stockpiles) • Eight decontamination/hygiene stations (Fremantle, Karratha, Sydney and Townsville) • Hardstand storage - flexidams and Fastanks - (all stockpiles) • 100kg anchor kits to support offshore boom operations (Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Devonport, Melbourne) • Replacement of self-inflating and shoreline boom (all stockpiles) • Wildlife container (Tasmania) • 50T Lamor skimmer (Sydney) • 101 tons of dispersant (all stockpiles). AMSA also manages the Fixed Wing Aerial Dispersant Capability (FWADC) on behalf of National Plan stakeholders. The FWADC was developed in conjunction with, and is jointly funded by, the Australian Marine Oil Spill Centre (AMOSC). Six aircraft are maintained to respond to oil spills on a 24/7 basis. Some of the requirements of the FWADC include: • six primary aircraft located around Australia • availability to fly within a specified time period from activation • suitably equipped to undertake aerial dispersant application activities in the marine environment • the ability to operate offshore (up to 200 nautical miles from the coast) • provision of adequately-trained personnel to support contract requirements AMOSC has also acquired drone
systems to use as part of shoreline deployments, where access to remote beaches are difficult or dangerous. Aerial camera footage has also increased the scope and development of shoreline tactical response plans. Seafarers’ minimum wage The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) met in Geneva at the Joint Maritime Commission Subcommittee on Seafarers’ Wages to review the ILO (International Labour Organisation) Minimum Wage for an Able Seafarer (AB). The decision, following two days of negotiations, was to update the minimum wage for an AB by US$ 27 over the next 3 years. The wages will provide an overall increase of 4.5% on the current ILO rate of US$ 614. The different parties provided reasoned arguments and economic forecasts to support their respective positions, including the volatility of the shipping industry, and the necessity to recognize the seafarers’ commitment and the need to agree fair and sustainable conditions. “This was a difficult negotiation with two very different assessments about what the future holds for shipping and seafarers”, admitted Mark Dickinson, the Seafarers’ Group spokesperson. “We started slowly but gained momentum as the parties exchanged opinions and provided arguments to support their positions. There was strong opposition from the shipowners’ side for a significant increase. However, I am pleased that at the end pragmatism and common sense prevailed and the parties worked their way forward to recognise the fundamental role seafarers play within the industry.” Max Johns, the Shipowners’ Group spokesperson said: “Following discussions on the current difficult challenges facing our industry, and the importance of preserving future employment for seafarers, I am very pleased to advise that we were able to work together to come to an acceptable result for both parties”.
for member organisations and greater power for the governing body. Australia maintains that all matters should be for consideration in the face of opposition from some of the most powerful member states. Transparency and openness and more scrutiny of environmental policy are central to the issue. Australia wants consideration of making all IMO meetings open to the public with enhanced media access. Flag states including Panama, the US, Britain and Japan, opposed discussions about public access; the role of non-governmental organisations and the IMO Council’s powers, claiming there was either strong opposition or not enough support for further debate on these matters. An Australian statement said: “Reforms towards openness and transparency should be considered as the first priority given their importance, given growing external criticism of IMO on this front and because they can be made immediately by the Council and do not require changes to the IMO Convention.” UK New Maritime & Coastguard Agency chief executive Brian Johnson has taken up his post and said he is committed to supporting the Agency’s ongoing work to drive up standards of maritime safety. Mr Johnson graduated in chemical engineering from Cambridge University, and has worked in the chemicals and manufacturing industries and in social housing. Mr Johnson said: “The MCA rightly has a worldwide reputation in the maritime world, in regulatory, survey and inspection and enforcement work and in the search and rescue work of HM Coastguard. I’m proud to be taking over from Sir Alan Massey who has done such great work and I intend to build on that.”
International Maritime Organisation reform Australia has continued to press for reform of the IMO. It has proposed public access to IMO meetings, revised rules 10
Brian Johnson
Smit refloats grounded boxship
In September, Smit with its longstanding Indonesian partner, Samudera, was awarded a salvage contract to refloat the container vessel WAN HAI 502 which grounded 60 nautical miles north east of Bangka Island in Indonesian waters. During the initial inspection it became
clear that at least 5,500 tonnes of cargo needed to be offloaded in order to execute a safe and controlled refloating operation to minimise the impact on the casualty and the environment. Assets were mobilized to start the offload operation as soon as possible and the salvage plan was approved by the Indonesian authorities. Shallow water to the starboard side meant a geared container vessel could not be moored alongside the casualty. Therefore, a shallow draft crane barge was used to create distance and sufficient water depth for another cargo vessel to receive containers from the grounded vessel. On the port side of the casualty it was possible to safely moor a geared container vessel which was used to offload boxes directly from the grounded container vessel. 89 x 20-foot and 260 x 40-foot containers were offloaded into three receiving vessels. A detailed salvage plan was drafted to execute the lightering operations simultaneously from port and starboard side. 11
Once the offloading operations were completed, additional tugs were mobilized to assist during the refloat operation which was safely concluded. For logistical reasons, the container vessel and cargo were redelivered to the owners in Singapore. Elsewhere, Smit says it remains busy with emergency response cases and has successfully removed two vessels in Norway as well undertaking the refloating of a large hopper dredger in Malaysia waters.
Salvage World is produced by the International Salvage Union. For matters relating to the publication contact: James Herbert, ISU communications advisor. Tel: +44 1423 330 505 Email: admin@gemcomms.com For general enquiries contact: ISU, Holland House 1-4 Bury Street London EC3A 5AW Tel: +44 20 7220 6597 Email: ISU@marine-salvage.com