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Barge at quay of Centerbeton

The "Dandia" has been berthed at the quay of Centerbeton for a few days. The salvage work had been completed on Nov 27 when the ship which was still on the left bank on the Albert Canal was raised and pumped out. From now on it was again the responsibility of the skipper and the insurance company of the vessel to take further action. In the collision, the anchor of the "Dandia" had come loose and it has ended up at the bottom of the Albert Canal. With divers a search was launched for the anchor, which was then retrieved too. It was only after the anchor has been removed from the Albert Canal that the entire channel could be reopened for ship traffic. Dutch report with photo: https://www.hln.be/regio/herentals/dandia-na-bergingswerken-op-voorlopige-ligplaats~acb79ca3/

Dandia above the water surface again

The salvage of the "Dandia" on the Albert Canal has been completed on Nov 27. A few days after the collision, the skipper had decided to hand over the salvage of the barge to the Flemish Waterway authority. The salvage works have been somewhat delayed. The cargo of fertilizer could no longer be removed from the ship with a crane because it turned to be a compact mass. The removal had to be done with sand pumps which took a while to be on the spot. Placing the cushions to light the ship also did not go smoothly. They were attached to two pontoons next to the ship. By filling the pontoons with water and pumping them out again, the wreck gradually came higher. The water inside the cargo hold was pumped onto another ship because there was still ammonia inside, and the water therefore could not just be dumped into the Albert Canal. The salvage had to be done with care and with a lot of precision and therefore took several hours. When the ship is completely above water, divers will inspect the hull of the ship for cracks and other damage. If everything is still intact and the ship can float on its own, it will be moored a bit further along the quay and handed back to the owner. The cargo may probably still be sold at a lower price. The fertilizer is mixed with water, but still has a value. In the morning of Nov 8 the wreck was towed to a quay. Dutch reports with photos: https://www.hln.be/regio/herentals/dandia-verschijnt-weer-aan-wateroppervlak~a7d1b779/ Gezonken schip op Albertkanaal wordt naar aanlegkade geduwd

Salvage work delayed

The salvage of the "Dandia" on the Albert Canal was postponed to Nov 27 due to problems with the wires with which the ship will be hoisted out of the water. They must be attached to the cranes on the pontoons and positioned before the salvage can start safely.