THAMESBORG

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Reefer and tug arrived at grounding site

The tug 'Beverly M', (IMO: 9084047) which was dispatched from Belledune, New Brunswick on Sep 9, and the ice-class reefer 'Silver Copenhagen' (IMO: 9143386) have arrived at the 'Thamesborg' in pos. 71° 21' N 096° 54' W in the Franklin Strait on Sep 22. With 4,000 horsepower the tug, has a bollard pull of 71 tonnes. With a draft of just six meters, the 'Silver Copenhagen' , which had sailed from Skagen on Sep 9, was able to safely pull up alongside the 'Thamesborg' to facilitate the transfer of its cargo Weather permitting, it was expected that the first part of the salvage operation could start over the course of this week. Inclement weather forced a temporary delay of some operations last week. A third salvage vessel, the "Botnica" (IMO: 9165877), was still underway to the incident location with anm ETA at Nuuk as of Sep 25, in order to assist in the last part of the salvage operation. The Canadian Coast Guard has approved the Wagenborg company’s plan for the safe refloating of the ship. The icebreaker 'Des Groseilliers' remained on standby in the vicinity. Continuous inspections of the 'Thamesborg' through ROV surveys confirmed that fuel tanks and cargo holds have remained intact to date.

Wagenborg staging for salvage operation

Ten days after the grounding of the 'Thamesborg', the operator Wagenborg continued to stage for the salvage operation, but inclement weather forced a temporary delay of some of these. Local sea ice conditions were expected to remain favourable for several more weeks to come. The annual Arctic Ocean ice minimum usually occurs around the middle of September. before sea ice makes a return, starting in October. A salvage master and naval architect as well as the first set of salvage equipment and additional staff have arrived on site. The remaining salvage equipment and staff were underway to the site and expected to arrive within a week. A salvage plan has been submitted to the Canadian Coast Guard, which remained on site with the CCGS 'Des Groseilliers'. On Sep 13, the CCGS 'Jean Goodwill' was released, after the CCGS 'Sir Wilfrid Laurier' returned with personnel and equipment.The CCGS 'Sir Wilfrid Laurier' has been released on Sep 15. Canadian Coast Guard’s Marine Environmental and Hazards Response officers and representatives from the salvage company hired by the owner were on scene. Further inspections of the hull have confirmed that no fuel spills have occurred, and the fuel tanks and cargo holds remained intact in contrast to a number of ballast tanks, which were flooded, causing a list to starboard side.

Icebreaker enroute from Tallinn to refloat Thamesborg

The icebreaker "Botnica" (IMO: 9165877) has been dispatched from Tallinn on Sep 10 on the 3,000-nautical-mile to refloat the 'Thamesborg'. The ship has been chartered by Wagenborg in consultation with the insurance company. The "Botnica" will not be needed for icebreaking in the Gulf of Finland until December and has no contract until then. For the use as an offshore supply vessel, the "Botnica" also has a pulling force of 117 tons. Its propulsion consists of a mix of diesel generators and electric motors. The 12 diesel generators have a combined force of more than 16,000 HP. The necessary salvage gear was selected while the ship was transiting the Kiel Canal en route to Canada in consultation with the Kiel-based agency Sartori & Berge. The 'Botnica' was equipped for the operation on Sep 13 in the heavy lift port of Osterrönfeld. On Sep 14, the ship continued to Brunsbüttel, where the fuel tanks were filled at the bunkering station ahead of the salvage mission, and then it departed towards the Northsea. Report with photo: https://www.kn-online.de/schleswig-holstein/eisbrecher-botnica-am-kanal-fuer-rettungsaktion-in-kanada-ausgeruestet-5LAVRP3QZRGLTKBTVJMNIW33G4.html