The rapid deployment of an uncrewed survey vessel (USV) played a critical role in helping to salvage cargo from a heavy transport vessel which ran aground with almost 300t of fuel oil on board during one of the worst typhoons to hit Taiwan in decades, Salmara said.
At the request of the Taiwanese government and within 24 hours, Sulmara had mobilised a WAM-V 16 USV and a team of survey specialists to assist in the emergency fuel recovery operation for the heavy transport vessel, Yu Zhou Qi Hang.
The 143m-long vessel, which was also carrying three gantry cranes, lost power off the coast of Taiwan on October 29 amid Typhoon Kong-rey. While all 17 crew members on board were safely recused by a Coast Guard vessel, poor weather conditions and unknown seabed hazards in shallow waters complicated the safe removal of the fuel after the ship ran aground in a Taiwanese national park.
With the Maritime Port Bureau and the Taiwan Environmental Protection Department facing the urgent challenge of ensuring the fuel was extracted safely to prevent further environmental impact, Taiwanese marine contractor Dong Fang Offshore was called upon to deploy the Orient Constructor, a vessel capable of lifting salvage equipment and pumps onto the wreck.
However, the operation presented high risks because manoeuvring the Orient Constructor close to the grounded vessel in adverse weather and shallow waters was further complicated by limited information on the potential subsea hazards below the keel.
To mitigate the risk of damage to the Orient Constructor and ensure safe navigation in the shallow waters, Dong Fang Offshore worked alongside Sulmara to conduct a complex seabed survey.