What situation is the cargo?
Modern Express, launched in 2001 and registered in Panama, is a huge cargo ship 164 meters long – the equivalent of two football fields. It sailed between Gabon and Le Havre, carrying 3,600 tons of wood pieces and work gear, when he issued a distress signal, Tuesday, January 26. The ship has been a heavy list – that is to say a significant tilt. – Probably due to a undocking of its cargo, which would be part of a single board the vessel, unbalancing it completely
L crew, 22 Filipino men were evacuated the same day, in Spanish rescue helicopters. The boat, which was then at 280 km from the northwest tip of Spain and 370 kilometers of French coastline, has since stopped drifting. Monday 1 st February after seven days of drift, the ship was located 44 km southwest of Arcachon.
The ship is tilted 40-50 degrees but remains stable and does not sink, a sign that he is not a victim of waterway. However, poor weather conditions and made hitherto not towing the Modern Express . “The difficulty here is a combination of several things, wind, waves and the tilt angle of the boat, which is to climb a mountain, but the move” , summarized, with AFP, a spokesman for Smit Salvage, a Dutch company bailout expert hired by the owner.
What’s happening Monday?
This is a cargo towing operation. Four Smit Salvage experts were airlifted to the ship and were able to place the cables between the boat and a Spanish tug, Centaurus . Towing the The Modern Express has started in stride and the convoy is currently headed west at a speed of 3 knots (5.4 km / h).
The priority now is “away [the ship] coasts” , said Louis-Xavier Renaux, the spokesman of the maritime prefecture of the Atlantic, recalling that the cables connecting the tug boat could at any time break. Swell, he stressed, is still significant (2.5 to 3 meters).
In reinforcement of the means deployed by the shipowner, the maritime prefecture of the Atlantic (Premar) , the operation coordinator, deployed on site Primauguet , a frigate of anti-submarine warfare (a helicopter), the Abeille Bourbon , the tug of Navy and Argonaut , the national support vessel and pollution control.
What’s going to happen if the towing succeeds?
If the operation continues to go fine, the boat will have to be immobilized in a “safe harbor” in a quiet area, sheltered from the wind, where it can be recovered. Discussions are underway to determine where this port will be located in France or Spain.
What if the operation fails?
If the tow spleen, due to wire breaks, the operation should be extended. It will “Iron trailer [cables] Today” to the ship does not fail, said Mr Renaux, indicating that the weather conditions remained favorable, if any, for a new attempt.
The risk of stranding on the Landes coast is now reduced, but the prefect, Nathalie Marthien, announced that resources remain mobilized “up ‘on Tuesday morning “.
Three towns are particularly vigilant: Mimizan, Contis and Moliets. All three were freshwater streams that flow into the ocean and vice versa, depending on the tides, sea water entering these channels in rich but fragile ecosystem. The current Huchet nature reserve is the same since 1981.
After tracking these sensitive sites Monday morning, the technical staff of municipalities and Landes firefighters will deploy in the afternoon dams and nets to protect current Contis-Plage, Mimizan and Huchet Moliets. Equipment dedicated to cleaning and protecting the beaches will also be stored preventively in Mimizan from the afternoon. Finally, the three beach communities prepare for the possible activation of their common backup plan, and their technical and human resources dedicated to the cleaning of beaches. The Polmar sea and land pollution control plans will also be triggered locally if the boat is aground, gaps can then occur in the hold of the cargo ship, carrying 300 tonnes of diesel propulsion. The prefecture, which considers that “limited pollution” is possible, however, assured that she “not afraid spill at all,” because of the small amount of oil transported.
As a comparison, the oil Luxury , wrecked in 2002 off the coast of Galicia, was carrying 77,000 tons of fuel oil. Nearly 3 000 km of Spanish, French and Portuguese coasts were then soiled.
Why this attempt to tow she arrives only after seven days of drift?
Friday and Saturday, the experts Smit Salvage had been hoisted aboard the cargo ship but these operations did not allow towing. The company managed to pass a crossing line between the Centaurus and the boat but it broke due to the swell. A company employee was slightly injured in the operation.
Sunday, hostile weather, with gusts to 80 km / h in the morning at 50 km / h late in the day, the hollow of almost 6 m, prevented any attempt to hélitreuiller on the freighter four experts of Dutch society to prepare for towing.
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