Leading international salvor TSAVLIRIS has been highly active over the summer with a series of groundings and other maritime casualties spanning the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

In spite of a general reduction in maritime accidents to sustain the salvage profession, the TSAVLIRIS SALVAGE GROUP undertook no less than six salvage services under Lloyds Open Form during the months of June, July and August, underlining the groups status as the worlds busiest emergency contractor.

Heralding the busy period, the Greek based salvor responded at the start of June to the plight of the 18,000 dwt general cargo vessel "LAINE" which had run aground in the River Plate on a voyage from Brazil with a cargo of 13,000 t of steel products. TSAVLIRIS hired two local tugs and dispatched salvage personnel to the scene where, with additional help from a lightering barge that removed more than 2,000 t of cargo from the casualty, the vessel was successfully refloated one week later.

The same week, it was the turn of "ELEFTHERIA", a Panamax bulk carrier, laden with 57,500 tons of soya beans, which sustained collision damages on the starboard hold No 1 in a position north of Algeria. TSAVLIRIS carried out temporary repairs and the vessel was then escorted to Ancona, where the service came to an end after sufficient cargo was discharged.

Completing a hectic few days, on June 9 TSAVLIRIS was contracted under LOF to provide assistance to another bulker, this time on a voyage from Brazil to Rotterdam laden with a soya cargo. The salvors dispatched super-tug "FOTIY KRYLOV" together with a subcontracted salvage unit to the scene, 14 miles northwest of El Ferrol, Spain, where the "CONGER" was immobilized with engine problems. But by the time of arrival, the Spanish authorities had already taken the casualty under tow.

Other substantial salvage operations conducted by TSAVLIRIS recently included a challenging operation to refloat and then tow the container ship "LUCY BORCHARD", loaded with 200 containers, which suffered propeller, hull and rudder damage when she ran aground in the Aegean Sea in July. TSAVLIRIS owned "MEGAS ALEXANDROS" together with a chartered tug were mobilized for this operation.

A more complex operation involved the successful refloating of the Panamax bulk carrier "OLYMPIC GALAXY". The bulk carrier, on the way to delivering a cargo of 61.000 tonnes of wheat from Australia, grounded in Sri Lanka on July 10. TSAVLIRIS tug "SB-408", a sub-contacted tug "MAHANUWARA" and a smaller bunker ware mobilized to assist the casualty. The vessel was refloated and safely delivered to Triconmalee Roads, after a lightening operation where approximately 4300 tonnes of cargo was removed.

Most recently, the salvor has been engaged on a major operation to lighten and refloat the handymax bulk carrier "KEN EXPLORER", fully laden with copper concentrate, which ran aground in the Gulf of Khambat while on a voyage from Chile to India.