Proposed salvage plans of MV Priscilla agreed
UPDATE
POSITION STATEMENT MV PRISCILLA – Monday 23 July 2018
The
vessel MV Priscilla remains in a stable condition but hard aground on the
Pentland Skerries. The 6-person crew remain safe and well on board.
A
Salvage Control Unit (SCU) meeting was held at 10am this morning, where the
salvors - Multraship/Ardent/Wagenborg - proposed salvage plan was discussed and
approved by the Acting SOSRep, Hugh Shaw. The Temporary Exclusion Zone
(TEZ) has been extended to 1,000 metres as there will be increased activity around
the vessel once operations start commencing.
The
vessel is carrying 52 tonnes of Marine Gas Oil (MGO), 4 tonnes of Heavy Fuel
Oil (HFO), 2 tonnes of Lubricating Oil (LO) and has a cargo of 3,300 tonnes of
bulk fertiliser in one cargo hold.
No
pollution has been reported however, as a precautionary measure, it has been
agreed to remove up to 35 tonnes of the MGO. The remaining MGO will be required
for ship services, etc. The Heavy Fuel Oil is reported to be solidified and contained
in a tank with no heating. No attempt will be made to remove this product. The
Lubricating Oil will remain on board for ship services.
The
re-float operation will consist of several steps:
- taking into account weather, sea state and tidal forces, approximately 1,350 tonnes of cargo will need to be discharged onto barges, transported and loaded onto a receiving cargo vessel;
- the casualty’s tanks will then be prepared for air pressurisation;
- the casualty will then be de-ballasted and re-floated on high water; following a successful re-float there will then be a brief inspection of the vessel prior to towing her to a safe location in order to facilitate further inspections.
Acting
SOSRep, Hugh Shaw is overseeing all elements of the operation and expects to
put out a further statement once the activity gets underway in the next 24
hours.