Ardent, the recent merger of Titan and Svitzer Salvage and Ardentia Marine, a salvage and diving company based in Spain have been awarded the contract to remove oil from the sunken fishing trawler “Oleg Naydenov” off the coast of Gran Canaria, Spain.
On the 11th of April, the vessel sustained a fire that quickly got out of control. All crew were able to abandon the vessel safely but due to the intensity of the fire, firefighting experts were unable to gain access to board the vessel and she sank approximately 15 nautical miles southwest of Gran Canarias.
The vessel now sits upright on the seabed at a depth of 2,700 meters.
The Ardent-Ardentia joint venture has already begun putting the necessary resources in place to execute the operational plan in a safe and efficient manner.
Oil receiving tanks will be submerged to collect oil from the sunken vessel and hoisted to the surface as they fill up. In addition, subsea recovery domes will be installed over areas where leaks have been detected in order to further contain any potential environmental pollution.
The operation will also be supported by a full salvage team, the use of remote operated vehicle (ROV) and heavy lifting equipment from the surface side.
Ardent-Ardentia will be working in close coordination with La Sociedad de Salvamento y Seguridad Marítima (SASEMAR) to ensure that all immediate and long term threats to the environment are prevented.