Vroon Offshore Services B.V. has contracted its DP2 Subsea Support Vessel VOS Sympathy to Dutch Salvors Multraship Salvage B.V. and Smit Salvage B.V. for the oil recovery operations of MV Flinterstar.
The Dutch general cargo ship MV Flinterstar partially sunk off the Belgian coast following a collision with the liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker Al-Oraiqon, managed by K Line LNG Shipping (UK) Limited, on October 6, 2015.
Flinter, the company that owns the sunken vessel, said that the 11 members of the crew and the Captain were safe. The Captain had been treated for hypothermia, but Flinter reported on October 7 that he had left the hospital.
The cause of the collision is still being investigated, but Flinter said that the first inspection showed that damage to Flinterstar was much worse than thought. The Dutch shipping company said the f ocus would be on removing remaining fuel oil in tanks.
However, Flinter on Tuesday said that, after 8 days, the removal of the fuel oil was stopped because of stronger winds and worsening sea state.
Providing daily updates about the operations on its facebook page, Flinter added that the Belgian Secretary for the North Sea Bart Tommelein said the work was not expected to restart on Wednesday.
As for VOS Sympathy, Vroon said Wednesday it was assisting with the task of receiving and storing the oil retrieved from the damaged vessel, which will be discharged ashore, as well as supporting the salvage crew.
“Vroon is pleased to contribute to this project with VOS Sympathy and her Crew’s salvage-specific experience and wish all parties involved a successful and seamless project,” Vroon has said.
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