AEOLIAN GRACE

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Bulkcarrier refloated

The 'Aeolian Grace' was refloated on March 9 with the assistance of four tugs. Smit Salvage Americas were contracted to salve the vessel under a Lloyd's Open Form salvage contract and were monitored by the Brazilian Navy and Port State Captaincy. The vessel was redelivered to its owners by the salvors on March 10 and was undergoing a diving inspection and survey at its mooring in pos. 26° 10.90' N 048° 34.88' W.

Bulkcarrier has to be refloated by salvage company

The 'Aeolian Grace; which ran aground on March 4 on the stone slab of the Port of São Francisco do Sul, remained aground as of March 6, being stabilized in its position by two tugs. There is still no date for the refloating. The initial idea was to carry out the maneuver with the tugs, was ruled out because of the risk of damaging an oil tank, which could cause a pollution. Therefore, the salvage must be carried out by a salvage company that must be hired by the shipowner. On March 5 a group formed by specialized technicians drew up a salvage plan as determined by the legislation established by the Brazilian Navy. Only after the completion of these studies will it be possible to predict the deadline for the refloating of the vessel. The Brazilian Navy has determined that for security reasons a pilot remains on board the ship. The vessel had just been loaded with 65,804 tonnes of soy in the Port of São Francisco do Sul when it ran aground during the unberthing maneuver, about 500 meters from the port outside the access channel. The Port of São Francisco do Sul has so far not been officially closed. However, any maneuver must be assessed by piloting and authorized by the Port Authority.

Grounding off São Francisco do Sul

The 'Aeolian Grace', loaded with 65000 tons soy bound to Singapore, ran aground off São Francisco do Sul on March 4, 2020, at 12.37 a.m. in pos. 26° 13.77' N 048° 38.68' W. The accident happened during the unmooring maneuver at Laje da Barata. It got stuck about 500 meters from the port at low tide. Technicians were assessing the situation. There were neither risks to the environment nor to the crew. Ship movements were authorized to resume in the afternoon of March 5, with partial restrictions depending on the vessel's size. As operations gradually restarted, the 'Bunga Lilac' received permission to maneuver and offload about 5,000 tonnes of vegetable oil. Four ships currently were waiting to load soy at São Francisco do Sul. The entry and exit of ships was assessed on a case-by-case basis by the authorities and pilots. The Brazilian Navy, through the Police Station of the Captaincy of the Ports of Santa Catarina in São Francisco do Sul, was monitoring the situation. The ship was stabilized in position by two tugs. The pilot remained on board for safety reasons. In addition, contact was made with the maritime agent to request divers in order to carry out an external evaluation of the hull. A specialized team was on site preventively to minimize the risk of water pollution. The Port Authority Police Station in São Francisco do Sul started an inquiry to investigate the causes of the grounding. On March 5 the tugs 'Svitzer Genaro' (MMSI 710032930) and 'Svitzer Irlanda D' (MMSI: 710007000) were on site. Reports with photos and video: https://ndmais.com.br/noticias/video-navio-graneleiro-encalha-no-porto-de-sao-francisco-do-sul/ https://www.nsctotal.com.br/noticias/navio-graneleiro-encalha-na-saida-do-porto-de-sao-francisco-do-sul https://g1.globo.com/sc/santa-catarina/noticia/2020/03/04/navio-encalha-e-afeta-atividades-do-porto-de-sao-francisco-do-sul.ghtml