Glory Amsterdam Refloated after Grounding in North Sea

Glory Amsterdam, a Panamax bulk carrier which ran aground in the German Bight, North Sea, on October 29, has finally been refloated, Central Command for Maritime Emergencies Germany (Havariekommando) informed. 

The 225-meter-long ship was towed with the help of two tugs into deeper waters at around 7:15 A.M. November 2, following several unsuccessful towing attempts.

Glory Amsterdam is secured and there was no spill reported, according to CCME.

Following the refloating, the bulk carrier was connected to three different tugs which will tow the vessel to Wilhelmshaven, where it is scheduled to arrive in the afternoon hours.

The 77,200 dwt ship grounded at a depth of five meters some 2.2 km off the island Langeoog amid inclement weather.

All previous refloating attempts failed due to strong winds and big waves. Additionally, waters were too shallow for the ship to be towed.

CCME and the ship’s operator jointly launched a new recovery operation on October 30. The operation began on November 1 and included connecting the two tugs to the grounded bulker and pumping out 16,000 tons of ballast water.

At the time of the incident, 22 persons were on board Glory Amsterdam. Following the grounding, they were joined by a team of seven people which helped in the recovery operation.

No visible damage to the ship has been reported so far.

World Maritime News Staff