Operations List
Our Salvage Tug "MEGAS ALEXANDROS" sailed from her Piraeus salvage station at pm on the 5th of April 2007 to the assistance of Turkish bulk carrier "TAHIR KIRAN" 37,971 Dwt aground Southerb Coast Chios island Aegean sea.
Casualty refloated by own means and proceeded on her voyage. "MEGAS ALEXANDROS" recalled.
Our salvage tug "LEOPARD" sailed from her salvage station on the 14th May pm to the assistance of the car carrier "ROYAL RAY" 3000Dwt, in ballast. S/T "LEOPARD" arrived at the scene of the casualty on the 14thMay 15:45 UTC towed her to Mindelo / Cape Verde Islands and thence to Las Palmas where arrived on the 22ndMay am.
TSAVLIRIS was engaged to salvage (under LOF - January 2007) the craned bulk carrier "GOLDEN SKY" (27.000 dwt laden with 25.000 tons of Muriate Potash (mop) in bulk which had grounded on glacial boulders off Ventspils, Latvia in hurricane force winds.
TSAVLIRIS deployed local tugs, a large number anti-pollution equipment (oil booms, skimmers etc.) and a salvage team (Salvage Masters, Salvage Engineers, riggers and divers).
The extreme cold weather conditions and all the related contingencies related to sub-zero temperatures made operations extremely difficult. Equipment such as pumps and compressors failed to operate in the extreme cold (below 30C degrees) and icy surface water.
TSAVLIRIS' priority was to act in preventing the serious possibility of pollution in a sensitive area and in combating the pollution which occured . Salvaging the casualty was considered highly unlikely, with all rival proposals focusing on a wreck removal in the spring. Many other salvage experts submitted that the sub-zero weather conditions would make it impossible to free the ship.
TSAVLIRIS SALVAGE successfully removed all fuels and lubricants and refloated the bulk carrier "GOLDEN SKY" after restoration of sufficient buoyancy by discharge of about 9.000tonnes of cargo. Helicopters were deployed for transportation of both personnel and equipment. Cargo was transhipped into barges which were towed to Hull, UK to buyers. The vessel refloated "just in the nick of time" before the area was slammed by 60-knot winds that might have caused it to break up.
The vessel was towed to port of Ventspils (as port of refuge) due to bad weather conditions and berthed alongside. TSAVLIRIS operations lasted four months and "GOLDNE SKY" was safely delivered to her owner.
On the 16th February TSAVLIRIS signed LOF 2000 with the managers of the M/V "AKTI". The vessel suffered engine problems and was found 12 miles south of Kasos Island (Aegean Sea). She was loaded with granular triple super phosphate in bulk.
The S/T "MEGAS ALEXANDROS" towed her from the Aegean Sea to Piraeus. Her voyage was successfully terminated on the 19th of February when Certificate of Safe Delivery was signed.
TSAVLIRIS salvage tug "MEGAS ALEXANDROS" proceeded from her Piraeus station (under LOF- 5th April 2007) to the assistance of cruise ship "SEA DIAMOND" which had become a casualty at Santorini Island, Greece.
Unfortunately the casualty sank, by the time the salvage tug arrived. TSAVLIRIS is currently studying wreck removal and pollution neutralisation possibilities.
TSAVLIRIS was engaged to salvage (under LOF– Aug. 2007) the craned bulk carrier "NEW FLAME" (46.000 dwt– laden with about 42.000 tons scrap) abandoned/ stranded half sunk off Europa point, Gibraltar following collision. The TSAVLIRIS super salvage tug "FOTIY KRYLOV" and "MEGAS ALEXANDROS" were deployed from the North Sea and Greece respectively.
An array of tanker barges, local tugs, antipollution equipment, salvage equipment including generators, compressors and underwater magnet also salvage personnel were deployed. In conjunction with the Gibraltar authorities, immediate diving surveys and studies were undertaken, and the removal of the ship's bunkers by pumping into barges was made the priority of the operation.
Despite adverse weather conditions TSAVLIRIS removed about 1000m3 of fuel lubricants and pollutants. No fuel spilled from the "NEW FLAME" into the sea. The Gibraltar Government congratulated the TSAVLIRIS SALVAGE GROUP for the successful completion of this important part of the salvage operation.
The next stage was the removal of aft part of the ship. The floating part due to structural degradation suffered by the vessel during the collision and subsequently in storm weather, it was not possible to extract the ship in one piece. The ship would therefore have to be cut into two sections, at a point about one-third of its length, from the bow. It was finally decided to sever the vessel in two using the "cheese wire" method in combination with two chartered in anchor handling tugs which provided stable platforms in order to install the winches, control rooms and power packs. Atrocious weather damaged and sank the casualty further, whereupon the P&I club decided to put out to tender the wreck removal. TSAVLIRIS operations lasted 5 months.
The TSAVLIRIS salvage tug "SB-408" proceeded from her Sri Lanka salvage station to the assistance (under LOF) of MV "ANTREAS" (22.000 tons laden with general / project cargo) disabled off the Seychelles . The "SB-408" towed the casualty to Mombassa and remained alongside for one month supplying electricity. The service lasted 2 months basis station to station.
Salvage tugs "MATSAS STAR", "ALEXANDER 5" and "IFESTOS 1" proceeded a.m. 4th November to the assistance of suezmax tanker "SCF VALDAI", laden about 135000 tons crude oil, bound from Novorossiysk (Russia) to Fos (France), disabled in Stenon Keas and requiring urgent tug assistance.
The three tugs arrived at the scene of the casualty and observed her drifting westerly south westerly dangerously towards rocky shore. "MATSAS STAR" connected to bow as towing tug and "ALEXANDER 5" connected to stern as steering tug. Towage to Piraeus was undertaken with tug "IFESTOS 1" providing escort. Flotilla arrived Piraeus roads a.m. 5th November where casualty anchored, with "ALEXANDER 5" and "IFESTOS 1" remaining alongside in attendance as stand-by tugs. Services rendered by "Vernicos/Matsas/Tsavliris" under Lloyds Open Form.
We dispatched Tug "BUGSIER 15" on 20th November to the assistance of 2007 built Cypriot flagged product chemical tanker "LISA" (about GT/DWT 3000/4300), disabled mid Bornholmsgat, Baltic Sea due to gear box damage.
The tug "BUGSIER 15" towed casualty to Rostock where arrived on 21st November. Services rendered under Lloyd's Open Form.
The Bulgarian gearless bulk carrier "DIMITROVSKY KOMSOMOL" (GRT 23444 DWT 38545) laden with 32.177 M/T of Soya bean meals and soya bean pellets grounded in Rio Parana River (KM 407,5) on 21/11/2007.
The refloating operation undertaken by ourselves lasted about fifteen days, with the deployment of seven tugs, and was achieved without lightening.
On 24th of December the M/T "FAULTLESS" (GRT 80000, DWT 155000) fully laden with crude oil, became disabled due to mechanical problem, about 30 n. miles west of San Juan/Puerto Rico. Local tugs and the S/T "ADVENTURER" were dispatched from San Juan and U.S.A., respectively to her assistance.
Upon completion of repairs M/T "FAULTLESS" was escorted by S/T "ADVERTURER" up to Mona passage, where services terminated.
On 30th December we dispatched tug "CRAMOND" from Hound Point to off "FIFTH OF FORTH" for the assistance of the combined chemical & oil Tanker "ELEOUSA TRIKOUKIOTISA" (GRT 2500, DWT 4500).
Tug "CRAMOND" subsequently recalled as casualty rectified problem and resumed voyage.
On January 1st we dispatched the S/T "ATLANTIC OAK" from her salvage station at Halifax to the assistance of Panamax Bulker "BARGARA" (GRT 40000 DWT 75000) laden with 63.000 M/T of wheat, disabled about 350 n.miles east of Halifax.
The S/T "ATLANTIC OAK" towed casualty safely in Halifax inner anchorage.
TSAVLIRIS was awarded a Lloyd's Open Form salvage contract at the end of February to salve an aframax tanker that reportedly collided with a quay during a southbound transit of the Suez Canal. The tanker, the "GRIGOROUSSA I", severely damaged her bottom in the incident, which caused the escape of an estimated 1,500 tonnes out of the tanker's total cargo of 94,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, being transported from the Mediteranean to Singapore.
An inspection at Suez anchorage after exiting the canal revealed that the tanker was not in a condition to resume her voyage while the underwater damage was too extensive for temporary repairs. The casualty was found to have several tanks communicating or breached, with a 4 metre trim by the head and a starboard list. The decision was taken to transship the cargo to another vessel. Hydraulic pumping and other equipment as well as specialized operators were flown to Egypt from Holland, for pumping the cargo of the flooded tanks from over the top.
A large array of additional ship-to-ship (STS) equipment was also dispatched from TSAVLIRIS' warehouse in Piraeus onboard the salvage tug "MEGAS ALEXANDROS". This equipment included additional pumps, a steam generator for heating the cargo, STS hoses, oil booms and absorbents, yokohama fenders and other items. A large salvage team was mobilized including a senior salvage master, an STS master, a naval architect / marine engineer, marine chemist, a diving team, riggers, pumpmen and other personnel. Everything was on site and ready during the first week of March, and TSAVLIRIS was poised to fix a tanker, the "GENMAR TRUST", to receive the cargo, when permission for the STS was denied by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) pending, according to Canal officials, settlement of their claim against the casualty.
The vessel's P&I Club settled the SCA claim on the agreement that the STS would be permitted on receipt of the funds. Accordingly, on March 17th, TSAVLIRIS proceeded to fix another suitable tanker, the "TRUST SPIRIT", for the intended operation. The receiving tanker arrived on site on March 26th and in the meanwhile STS requirements were negotiated and agreed between the salvors and SCA. However, on March 22nd, shortly before the arrival on scene of the receiving tanker, the Egyptian courts intervened and prohibited the STS pending further decisions to be taken.
On March 28th TSAVLIRIS was advised unofficially that permission would not be granted prior to an investigation by a senior public prosecutor in Cairo and settlement of the Environmental Authority's own claim by the Club. Since all personnel and equipment for the STS had been on site for nearly a month, standing by to commence the operation, the new, indefinite delay prompted Tsavliris to scale down the salvage operation while awaiting permission. The tanker "TRUST SPIRIT", which had arrived at Suez anchorage on March 26th, was cancelled on April 11th, and salvage personnel was demobilized until further notice. On the 16th of August the club of the casualty reached agreement with the Environmental Authority as well as with other private claimants abd settled all claims.
Thereafter the arrest of the vessel and cargo was lifted and TSAVLIRIS fixed the M/T "VEMAOCEAN" to tranship the cargo from "GRIGOROUSSA I". The transhipment vessel is expected to arrive arround the 20th of Septmeber and ship to ship cargo transfer is expected to be completed by the end of September.
In another significant June case, TSAVLIRIS led a successful salvage and repair operation to assist the laden capesize bulker "SETSUYO STAR", which was forced to seek shelter just off the South African coast after the discovery of frame damage in the area of the No.1 hold.
In an operation that was carried out to the satisfaction of the South African marine safety authorities and environmental groups, TSAVLIRIS engaged the tug "SMIT AMANDLA" under the subcontract with SMIT South Africa together with an array of anti-pollution and pumping equipment on standby. Structural repairs were performed by local repair yard Dormac.
By July 4, the "SETSUYO STAR" was able to continue on her voyage from Brazil to China carrying about 166,000 tonnes of iron ore.
