On Monday, 7 August, the 50-metre inland vessel Jogo 2 sank off the Zijdijk in Grembergen, Dendermonde, Belgium. The vessel has now been located and Dutch maritime service provider Hebo has been contracted to salvage the vessel this week.
On board the vessel were one person and two dogs who, after an intensive search, are still missing. The cause of the sinking remains unknown and is being investigated. The judicial investigation is being led by the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office.
Over the past few days, the salvage services prepared the salvage of the vessel. Several scans were made that gave a clear and accurate picture of the ship’s position. The strong current on the Scheldt and the tides make the salvage operation a complex task.
In the interest of the missing person and family members, salvage company Hebo worked out an approach to salvage the vessel, leaving the ship as intact as possible.
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Salvage operation
The effective salvage operation started on Monday, August 14, and was planned as follows:
- A large working vessel with crane and a pontoon (with lifting device to lift heavy loads) are positioning themselves at the site where the ship sank.
- As the ship lies on its side, the vessel will first be tilted again. This is done under water.
- A second floating pontoon will be positioned at the front of the ship. A crane barge will come to the side to unload the hold.
- The hold will be further drained, which will allow the ship to float again.
- The ship will finally be towed away and investigated further.
- The exact timing depends on the tides. The end of the salvage operation is scheduled for Friday 18 August.
To allow the salvage operation to proceed unhindered, shipping traffic will be halted from Monday 14 August to Friday 18 August from Baasrode to Vlassenbroek.
Picture by the municipality of Dendermonde.
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