The NCL-chartered container ship NCL Salten, which ran aground outside Trondheim, Norway, in the morning of 22 May, is still grounded. Salvors are working on a salvage plan after a first attempt to refloat the vessel failed on Thursday. The officer on watch at the time of the accident has been formally charged with negligent navigation.
At the time of the accident, the ship carried sixteen crew. No-one was injured and so far, there have not been any spills. The ship ended up very close to a house on the edge of the water. The ship is owned by Baltnautic, and chartered by North Sea Container Line AS (NCL).
‘This is a serious incident, and we are grateful that nobody was injured in the grounding. The ship’s crew and all bystanders are safe. This is now an ongoing rescue operation, and we are cooperating closely with the authorities and others involved. At present time, we do not know what caused the incident and are awaiting the conclusion of the ongoing investigation by the relevant authorities,’ says NCL’s Managing Director Bente Hetland.
‘We are currently assessing the damage to the ship and have initiated an internal investigation into the root causes of the incident. The findings of this investigation will be followed up with measures designed to reinforce and further enhance safety on ships chartered by NCL,’ Hetland adds.
First refloat attempt fails
The salvage operation of NCL Salten is now underway led Wesmans on behalf of the insurance companies and the ship’s owner. Complicated ground conditions and a lot of clay in the area make the work challenging.
‘Our priority is to safely refloat the vessel and restore normal operations as swiftly as possible. We appreciate the cooperation and support from local authorities and our partners inthis process,’ states Hetland.
An attempt to remove the ship from ground on Thursday was unsuccessful. A new attempt was initially planned for Thursday evening, but called off. According to the Norwegian Coastal Administration, geotechnical investigations will have to be carried out, and the shipping company’s salvage company is awaiting the results of these to determine whether special considerations need to be taken when the ship is to be pulled off.
Also read: Restricted waterway bank effect grounds vessel
Working on a salvage plan
Work, coordinated by The Norwegian Coastal Administration, is now underway to put in place a plan for how to get the ship off ground. Hetland: ‘This is a complicated coordination and logistics operation that we hope can be put in place as soon as possible.’
Director of Environmental Preparedness Hans Petter Mortensholm of The Norwegian Coastal Administration says: The Norwegian Coastal Administration’s emergency response team is supervising and will ensure that the plan for getting the ship off the ground takes into account, among other things, emergency preparedness against acute pollution. If we believe that additional measures are necessary to ensure preparedness, we will ask the shipping company to implement them. The Norwegian Coastal Administration has the authority to impose necessary measures.’
On Saturday, the Norwegian Coastal Administration stated that Boa Offshore AS had been assigned to pull the ship off the ground. They are now working to secure the ship and make it easier to unload the cargo. Currently, Boa estimates that the work will take about a week. On Saturday, work on geotechnical investigations around the ship began.
UPDATE 26 MAY, 7 PM: Removal of ship planned for Tuesday
On Monday afternoon, NCL reported that the salvage operation of NCL Salten is progressing led by Wesmans on behalf of the insurance companies and the ship’s owner, in close cooperation with the Norwegian Coastal Administration and others. The work of unloading the ship is well underway. The crew is on board the ship, assisting the rescue operation and securing the ship.
The Norwegian Coastal Administration added later on Monday evening that removal of the ship is planned for Tuesday, 27 May.
Officer of the watch asleep during grounding
Norwegian police have launched an investigation into the accident, and one individual has now been formally charged with negligent navigation under Section 14 of the Ship Safety and Security Act. The accused is a Ukrainian man in his thirties who was serving as Second Officer on board during the voyage in question.
‘The individual charged was the officer on watch at the time of the incident. During questioning, he stated that he fell asleep while on duty alone, which led to the vessel running aground,’ says Kjetil Bruland Sørensen, the prosecutor in Trøndelag Police District.
‘On Friday, parts of the crew on board were interviewed. The focus of the investigation is to establish the sequence of events and determine how this incident could occur, as well as to assess whether the bridge was manned in accordance with applicable regulations,’ Bruland Sørensen adds.
Further inquiries are being made into whether the rules regarding working and rest hours were adhered to on board the vessel. As part of standard procedure, the ship’s captain has been given the status of suspect in the case. The police have also obtained relevant ship documentation and have been in contact with the Norwegian Maritime Authority.
Picture (top): NCL Salten aground (photo by The Norwegian Coast Guard).
