To main content

Flash

Emergency response

Call SMIT 24/7 at
+31 10 454 99 11
salvage@smit.com


Help us to help you.
Keep the following information at hand when you contact us in case of an emergency:
Initial info:
What? Where? When?

Type and cause of accident:
Fire – collision - grounding

Known damage:
What is the known damage? Where is it located?

Contact details:
Which contact details can we use at all times?

On the 25th of June the bulk carrier 'Flash' ran aground near the Galite Islands. The unfortunate vessel was loaded with a cargo of about 130,000t of coal. Immediately SMIT Salvage mobilized a team of experts to render assistance.

A first assessment revealed that a considerable amount of coal had to be lightered before the vessel could be refloated. In cooperation with local port authorities OOMP, SMIT Salvage was contracted to refloat the vessel on the 26th of June under LOF terms and conditions. Support craft consisting of tugs and lightering craft were mobilized straight away.

The coal was discharged to three different offloading bulk carriers and the empty holds were filled with seawater to minimize the bending forces on the 290 m vessel. With the help of specialized pumps and the pulling force of the Boskalis-owned 200TBP 'Union Manta', the Flash was refloated on the 1st of August. Following a dive inspection and temporary repairs she was subsequently redelivered to her owners on the 24th of August.

Related projects

Selected filters
SMART-0903

Smart

During heavy swells on the morning of the 19th of August the bulk carrier 'Smart', 150,000 DWT loaded with 147,000 tons of coal, left the port of Richards Bay, South Africa heading for China. Soon, however, the swell became too much and the vessel grounded next to the channel, less than 250 m from the coast. Just hours after the grounding, the vessel broke in two.

USS_Guardian

USS Guardian

On the 29th of January the ‘USS Guardian’, a mine countermeasures ship of the US Navy, grounded on the North Western tip of the Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea. The prevailing North East monsoon, sea and swell impacting on the vessel were causing her to move up on the reef and she was deteriorating, hence a swift operation was required to avoid the risk of pollutants being released into the environment.

Jin_Tai

Jin Tai

The beginning of 2012 involved the salvage case of the backacter bucket dredger ‘JIN TAI’. This backhoe dredger was working on the construction and expansion of the newly built container port of Coega near Port Elizabeth (South Africa), when it experienced a problem with one of the vessels’ legs. A cable attached to one of the three spud piles came loose, causing one of the legs to give way and the engine room start flooding.

Kulluk_BP_2_2013

Kulluk

In late December 2012 when the conical drilling rig ‘Kulluk’, 9,900 DWT, was under tow to Seattle the tow connection parted in a severe storm in the Gulf of Alaska. Despite efforts to re-establish the tow connection the rig eventually grounded on the pristine coast of Sitkalidak Island, which is part of Kodiak Island.

Rig_Noble_Regina_Allen_1_2012

Rig Noble Regina Allen

In December 2012 the newly built rig 'Noble Regina Allen', constructed at Jurong Shipyard Singapore, was undergoing operational tests. The jack-up rig suffered from a mechanical failure on one of the jacking systems during the pre-load test. This failure resulted in the rig tilting severely and the bow section submerging into the sea until the rig came to rest on the seabed.

Chamarel_2012

Chamarel

The French cable-laying vessel 'Chamarel', 5,900 DWT, suffered an engine room fire off the Namibian coast, which spread rapidly and eventually burnt down the accommodation. The vessel drifted to shore were it grounded on the sandy beach of the Skeleton Coast, a very remote location.