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13 TH VOLUME, NO. 33 DATED 19 AUGUST 2012
TANKER GROUNDED OFF WANGEROOGE
Last week the "Katja" ran aground
off the island Minsener Oog, two
km southeast of Wangerooge, in
the Frisian Community with a
cargo of 87.000 tons crude oil in
the night of Aug 14, 2012, arund
1 a.m. The ship developed a list of
1,5 degrees. The tugs "Bugsier 1“
and "Wilhelmshaven“, the
"Mellum“ of the WSA
Wilhelmshaven, the antipollution
ship "Neuwerk“ and the
emergency tug "Nordic" were
among the vessels which responded. At 6.15 the vessel could be refloated with tug assistance when
the tide rised. Escorted by two tugs it proceeded to Wilhelmshaven where it berthed at 8.30 a.m.
Here the cargo which came from Hound Pt. was to be unloaded and the hull will undergo surveys.
(Source: Vesseltracker; Photo: Havariekommando)
HELICOPTERS TO REMOVE PIECES OF RENA WRECK
US salvors, Resolve, have been
appointed to reduce the size of the
bow of the wreck of the Rena, using
helicopters to lift sections as they are
cut. Captain John Owen, senior
claims manager with Rena insurer
The Swedish Club, said Resolve's plan
would allow the wreck to be reduced
in a controlled and safe way. "This is
a very difficult and potentially
dangerous location to conduct
operations," he said. The appointment
of Resolve was announced today
during a trip to Motiti Island by Athens-based Konstantinos Zacharatos, a director and legal counsel
for Greek-owned company Costamare whose subsidiary Daina Shipping owned the Rena. "The
appointment of Resolve is the next important step in dealing with the issues arising from this
regrettable incident," Zacharatos said. "After the grounding in October last year we have been
closely managing the work of our environmental agents (Braemar Howells) and salvors (Svitzer)."
Rena, a 236-metre-long Liberian-flagged cargo vessel, caused an environmental disaster after it
struck Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga while travelling from Napier to Tauranga. The condition of the
wreck deteriorated, and on January 10 the position of the stern section of the Rena began to change
significantly. Within about 90 minutes about 75 per cent of the stern was under water. A
spokesperson for the owners and insurers said Resolve already had people in the area, and the work
of reducing the bow was expected to start in the next couple of weeks. That job, cutting the bow
section down to one-metre below the low tide mark, was expected to take six months, depending on
factors such as the weather. At the same time as work was under way on the bow, investigations
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