The Swedish Coast Guard has confirmed that the bulk carrier Ali Aykin that grounded in Swedish waters near Klagshamn at 2:30 am on Sunday morning, is taking on water with a ballast tank affected. The ship is hard aground with large parts of the hull, according to diving surveys conducted on Monday morning.
The Swedish Coast Guard is monitoring the ship until further notice and has started an environmental rescue service as a precaution. Environmental rescue resources are in the area, in case the situation should change further, and can take restrictive measures if oil were to spill into the water.
Also read: Bulk carrier grounds in Sweden, drunkenness suspected
Ballast tank damaged
The ship is standing on a mixture of sand and stone, with large parts of the hull against the ground. The hull is affected by the grounding, otherwise the ship is fully functional. One of the ballast tanks has suffered a leak and is currently filled with water.
The ship’s owner must present a salvage plan, which describes how the salvage will be carried out. Once such a plan has been approved by the Swedish Transport Agency together with the Coast Guard, the salvage work can begin. There is currently no forecast for when this may happen.
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Not in the way of shipping
The Ali Aykin is a 93-metre-long bulk carrier loaded with scrap metal. According to VesselFinder, it was built in 1999, sails under the flag of St Vincent Grenadines and was en route to Setubal in Portugal after it had left Gdansk, Poland, on 23 May. It ran aground at 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning (25 May) while it was heading north, into the Öresund. There are currently no signs that oil has entered the water. There are approximately 69,000 litres of diesel oil on board.
It is aground alongside the fairway, according to the Swedish Coast Guard and does not hinder shipping in the area. The Coast Guard unit KBV 314 has personnel on board to carry out investigative measures. The Swedish Transport Agency is also on board.
UPDATE 27 MAY, 2.30 PM: Work on salvage plan ongoing
The vessel Ali Aykin remains firmly grounded, says the Swedish Coast Guard in an update. The organisation cannot rule out that oil will reach the water and is therefore preparing for a possible environmental rescue operation. Work is underway on the salvage plan. When such a plan is approved, and the work of salvaging the ship begins, the risks to the ship and to oil reaching the water increase.
While awaiting salvage, the ship has been asked to anchor, which has been done. The Swedish Coast Guard has environmental rescue resources on site with KBV 001 from Gothenburg and KBV 034 from Malmö. Additional environmental rescue vessels from Germany are currently in Malmö, in connection with a joint environmental rescue exercise.
Two crew under investigation
One crew member of the Ali Aykin has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence in maritime traffic. Another is suspected of drunkenness. Investigations are ongoing.
Picture by the Swedish Coast Guard.
