Houston-based TITAN salvage expects to have the mid-section of the 151,279dwt bulk carrier Smart removed from Richards Bay, South Africa this month after successfully salvaging and scuttling the ship’s bow section in December 2014.
The Panamanian-flagged vessel was carrying a load of 147,650 tonnes of coal from South Africa to China when she went aground in August 2013 after encountering heavy seas. Complications ensued when the carrier broke apart after only two days and the bow section became partially buried in mud. TITAN deployed its proprietary jack-up barges Karlissa A and Karlissa B to lift the bow after all cargo had been taken off and the mud removed using air-lift techniques. The bow was then towed out and scuttled in designated waters approved by the South African Maritime Safety Authority. JS
