On 27 April, Multraship Salvage and Herbosch-Kiere began removing the cargo of sea sand from the sunken inland vessel Sola Gratia. Once the cargo has been removed from the vessel, further salvage operations will be carried out. This will take several days.
The 86-metre-long inland vessel Sola Gratia sank on the Scheldt during the night of 17 to 18 April after colliding with mooring posts at the Royers Lock near Antwerp. The vessel, loaded with around 1600 tonnes of sand, sank completely. Fortunately, the crew were rescued in time. Multraship Salvage and Herbosch-Kiere have now been jointly contracted to carry out the salvage operation.
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‘Complex operation’
The vessel lies at a depth of 15 metres at low tide, and there are strong currents and tidal forces. The first step in this process is unloading the cargo of sea sand. This is being carried out from the Seadevil pontoon.
‘The salvage of the Sola Gratia is therefore a complex operation that requires precise planning, collaboration between our specialist teams and expert craftsmanship,’ explains Leendert Muller, CEO of Multraship Salvage. ‘Together with our partner Herbosch-Kiere and various specialist subcontractors, we are working step by step towards a safe and controlled salvage operation.’
Benny De Sutter, CEO at Herbosch-Kiere: ‘Thanks in part to the deployment of our Seadevil barge, the cargo can be unloaded accurately and in a controlled manner to ensure the ship’s stability and to safely prepare for the subsequent salvage operation, with our experienced team carefully supervising every step through their expertise and close collaboration.’
Lifting slings and steel cables
Once the cargo has been completely removed from the Sola Gratia, Multraship’s barge Cormorant and Herbosch-Kiere’s pontoon Waasland will arrive on site. Work will begin from the Cormorant barge to fit lifting slings and steel cables in preparation for the actual salvage operation.
The tug Fairplay 33 and the chartered Hebolift 6 will also be deployed for this purpose. The diving operations, which form part of the salvage operation, will be carried out by Antwerp Underwater Solutions, a specialist partner in the field of underwater inspections and diving operations.
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Salvage necessary
The wreck is not currently causing any immediate disruption to shipping, but it does need to be salvaged, partly because the Royers Lock, following its recent modernisation, once again forms an important link between the Albert Canal and the Scheldt. The location has been marked with emergency buoys.
Picture: Multraship’s Cormorant (photo by Multraship).
