Salvage Operations 2021

On 5th November, Five Oceans Salvage was contracted under a LOF to assist 8,300TEU capacity containership “ARCHIMIDIS” (103,000DWT, built 2006) that was immobilized about 150nm off Acapulco, while on a laden voyage from China and Korea to Panama and various US ports, its final destination being New York. Following an extensive search, it turned out that the nearest available tug to assist was the 200 ton bollard pull GH CHALLENGER that was mobilized from Chaguaramas, Trinidad (some 2,500nm away) and giving ETA to the casualty’s th location on 16 November. In the meantime ARCHIMIDIS was constantly drifting towards the coast and by the 13th December had reached 30 miles off Acapulco. The local Mexican authorities then agreed to release port tug MEXTUG DUERO from Lazaro Cardenas Port to meet ARCHIMIDIS, connect her towline and keep the casualty away from the coast until the arrival of the ocean going tug GH CHALLENGER. The GH CHALLENGER met th with ARCHIMIDIS on the 16 November, took over the tow from MEXDTUG DUERO and towed the casualty to Cristobal, Panama where the convoy th arrived in the morning of the 29 November. GH CHALLENGER remained standing by for safety in Balboa until the completion of repairs and sea trials of ARCHIMIDIS that was redelivered to her owners on completion of the services on 10th December.

On the 26th of October, bulk carrier “BEATA” (9,000DWT, built 2001), laden with iron ore fines from Iskenderun to Constanta, was immobilized off southern Turkey and drifting towards the coast. Her owners signed a LOF with Five Oceans Salvage that dispatched ocean going tug EDT ANDROMEDA from Limassol and port tug CHRISTOS 36 from Rhodes to assist. Tug CHRISTOS 36 reached the casualty later in the same day and started towing towards Greece. At the time the tug met with “BEATA”, she had reached 5nm off the coast. In the evening of 27th October, tug EDT ANDROMEDA met with the convoy off Rhodes Island and took over the tow to successfully redeliver the casualty in Crete, southern Greece on 30th October.

In October 2021, FOS was contracted on Wreckfixed terms for the wreck removal of the “JSRY Floating Dock 1” in the port of Jeddah. The 215mts long, 32,065 tons deadweight dock sunk in August 2021 during undocking operations and was subject to an international invitation to tender. Five Oceans Salvage’s plan to refloat the dock was based on a combination of pressurizing and pumping of the dock’s compartments, following extensive temporary underwater repairs. A team of 15 salvage personnel and a large array of salvage gear was mobilized to Jeddah from Five Oceans Salvage’s headquarters in Athens. The operation was successfully completed on the 20th of December and the dock was redelivered safely afloat in Jeddah Port.

On 9th January 2021, bulk carrier “CHRISTOS THEO” (56.000DWT, built 2010) run aground inside Suez Canal and suffered damages in her propeller and rudder. At the time she was in a voyage from the Far East to Slovenia and Italy laden with 36.000mt of steel products onboard. A Lloyds Open Form was signed with Five Oceans Salvage who negotiated and settled the Suez Canal Authorities claims for the release of the vessel from Egypt and dispatched S/T “AEGEAN STAR” from the company’s salvage station in northern Greece, to pick up the vessel from Port Said and tow her to the various cargo destinations for discharge. The “AEGEAN STAR” was replaced in the course of the operation by tug “EDT ANDROMEDA”, after sustaining serious damage in her towing gear in extremely bad weather. After calling Koper, Venice and Ravenna under tow and delivering her entire cargo, “CHRISTOS THEO” was towed to Greece where she was redelivered to her owners on the 9th March in Piraeus on termination of the salvage services.