Vale Beijing salvage plan

With the assistance of Google Translator, the Antipodean Mariner has been able to pull together a summary as at 20th December;

STX Pan Ocean have appointed Smit as salvors, and their first priority is to debunker the ship at anchor of the bulk of her fuel oil, leaving sufficient to maintain essential services. The debunkering plan requires ratification by the Brazilian Institite of the Environment and Natural Resources. A floating crane is to be brought to Sao Luis to redistribute cargo from the damaged No.7 Hold to Holds 3 and 5.



Vale Beijing (above) is being towed off the berth to anchorage - the iron ore residues on her deck from the ship loader indicate that Holds 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7 are loaded. She was reported to have had 260,000 tonnes loaded, with 20,000 tonnes in No.7 Hold at the time of the structural failure. It is believed that she will go to Rotterdam for dry-docking and permanent repairs. Unknown whether she can make the voyage under her own power with the structural damage adjacent to the engineroom bulkhead and accommodation.

AM