SMART

scrapped

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Course/Position

Latest news

Smart removal completed

Titan Salvage, now a part of Ardent following completion of the merger of Titan and Svitzer Salvage, has successfully completed the complex and difficult removal of the wreck of the "Smart", the with remaining mid-section cut down and buried at the beginning of September 2015, with rehabilitation of the seabed completed immediately thereafter. A report of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) describes the salvage as challenging given weather conditions that prevail on the South African coast, especially during the winter period.

Bow of bulkcarrier scuttled too

Titan Salvage has successfully re-floated and scuttled the largest and most challenging section of the "Smart" on Dec 17, 2014. At the end of 2013, Titan was called to the scene, including Salvage Master Guy Wood, to re-float and scuttle the most complex and challenging portion of the vessel, the bow, which was partially buried in mud. Soon after arriving on scene, the team deployed its proprietary jack-up barges "Karlissa A" and "Karlissa B", thus creating a stable, safe working environment. The salvors made preparations to remove pollutants, then lightened remaining cargo via hopper barge. To further reduce the weight of the wreck, Wood and his team made arrangements to have sand and mud removed from the bow using air-lift techniques. The team re-floated, towed and scuttled the bow into designated waters within three days. Titan was now preparing for the removal of the remaining mid-section. This final stage of work was expected to be completed in the beginning of 2015. Reports with photos: http://www.titansalvage.com/News-and-Media/Press-Releases/TITAN-Salvage-Successfully-Refloats-and-Scuttles-Bow-of-Wrecked-Smart-Bulk-Carrier http://www.marinelog.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=8454:titan-raises-bulker-bow-then-scuttles-it&Itemid=230

Salvage contract for foreship of Smart awarded

The SAMSA (South African Maritime Safety Authority) has announced the removal operations for the forward and mid sections of the "Smart" outside Richards Bay harbour has been awarded to Titan Maritime LLC and T&T Salvage LLC. Extensive use will be made of local contractors and resources to perform one of the largest and most challenging wreck removal operations in South African history. The fuel and stern section have already been successfully removed under a separate contract performed by Smit Marine South Africa Pty Ltd and Subtech Pty Ltd but the removal of the remainder of the wreck presented unique challenges which have benefitted from a comprehensive tender process conducted on behalf of the owners and their underwriters. Following the loss of the vessel the South African Maritime Authority (SAMSA) required the owner to prioritise the removal of the bunkers to neutralise any environmental hazard before tackling the remainder of the wreck. Bunker removal operations were completed on Sep 2, 2013. The stern section was safely scuttled on Oct 5, 2013. The forward section of the vessel subsequently broke into two parts due to severe weather and sea conditions causing some of the cargo to spill onto the seabed. Only the forward section of the vessel has been visible since that time. In September, the owner tendered for the removal of the remaining sections of the vessel and the cargo and in December a joint venture of two US based salvage companies, TITAN Maritime LLC from Miami and T&T Salvage LLC of Galveston, was selected after a detailed technical and commercial evaluation of the five participating bids. Following approval by SAMSA of the methodology, the wreck removal contract was signed by the owners of the "Smart" on Dec 11, 2013. The wreck removal operation will commence with the removal of the remaining cargo of coal from holds 1, 2 and 3, and disposal in an approved offshore location, under the supervision of the South African Environmental Authorities (DEA). Thereafter it is anticipated that the bow section comprising of the cargo holds 1, 2 and part of 3 will be refloated and scuttled in an approved deep water location. The remaining section of the vessel between holds 4 and 7, which is completely submersed and heavily damaged, will be removed by cutting into smaller parts and taken away piece by piece. Titan Maritime and T&T Salvage have awarded Subtech of Durban a contract to supply a tug and barge with a dredge pump and a dive team. The wreck removal operation was scheduled to take approximately 550 days to complete. It was recognised that prevailing weather and sea conditions will limit the available working days. Nevertheless it was anticipated that work on the bow section will be completed by May 2014 before the onset of winter following which operations will be suspended until the summer when work to remove the mid section can be safely resumed. All wreck removal operations should then be complete by November 2015. All works will be closely monitored by the owners in consultation with the various departments of the South African Authorities including SAMSA, the Department of Environment Affairs and the Richards Bay Port Authority.