Salvage of «Northguider» off Svalbard will take time
The Coast Guard vessel KV «Svalbard» reached the trawler «Northguider» that has run aground off Svalbard during the night before Thursday. The salvage operation will probably take a long time.
“The trawler ran aground in Kinnvika on the Northeast Land off Svalbard on December 28th. None of the 14 crew suffered injuries in the wrecking and was subsequently evacuated. On the Night before Thursday, the Coast Guard reached the site,” writes Sunnmørsposten.
“The vessel is in the same condition as when we last observed it from a helicopter. The wind blows from the south and there is sea-ice in the area. It is not justifiable to put crews on board now, but we hope to do so today or tomorrow, ” Petter Mortensholm informs.
Mortensholm works for the Emergency Planning Department of the Norwegian Coastal Administration.
There have been no reports of leaks from the trawler, which has 300,000 litres of marine diesel on board. The Norwegian Coastal Administration will now see if it is possible to pull «Northguider» off the grounds, or whatever else is necessary to salvage her.
At Sortland
KV «Svalbard» was berthed at the Coast Guard base at Sortland in Nordland, a tad over 100 kilometres south of Longyear City when the vessel ran aground. It has taken several days to travel to the site due to weather and distance.
“The Coast Guard vessel representatives from the Dutch salvage company Ardent, the Coastal Administration, the shipping company, ice experts and crew from the Governor of Svalbard on board,” writes Teknisk Ukeblad.
They will board the trawler to assess the extent of damage and plan the salvage operation of the vessel. The trawler is currently stable, with a heel of about 15 degrees. The Norwegian Coastal Administration estimates that the ship is secure and will not sink any further.
Senior adviser in the Coastal Administration’s Emergency Management Department, Rune Bergstrøm, believes it will take a long time to salvage «Northguider», which is about 55 metres long and has a gross tonnage of 1,792.
On Thursday it was a wind force of 35 to 40 knots in the are with drifting ice and 10 degrees oC below.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
