Storms defeat plan to salvage 'Braer' cargo
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.ATTEMPTS to salvage the cargo of the tanker Braer are over and part of the Dutch team trying to recover the oil will return home in the next couple of days.
The storms that have frustrated the operation ever since the Braer ran aground are expected to continue and will have completely destroyed the wreck before conditions improve, Capt George Sutherland, director of marine operations for the Shetland Islands Council, said yesterday. The Braer has broken into four sections and is mostly submerged after 11 days of pounding by high winds and heavy seas.
Almost all its cargo of 84,500 tons of light crude oil has leaked out, although there may be up to 1,600 tons of heavier fuel oil still aboard.
A team of salvage experts from the Dutch company Smit Tak arrived in Shetland shortly after the Braer was wrecked and planned to pump the oil out into a large barge called the Tak Ten.
The company has signed a Lloyd's open-form contract with the Braer's owners, Bergval and Hudner, under which it only makes a profit if either the ship or the cargo is saved.
However, if all reasonable efforts to recover them are made, Smit Tak will get its expenses paid. The salvage operation is likely to cost several hundred thousand pounds. Smit Tak has brought its salvage ship and an anchor-handling vessel to Shetland and the barge has been anchored off mainland Scotland for several days.
A team of divers has also been on stand-by.
A Smit Tak crewman said yesterday that the anchor-handling vessel Smit Lloyd 121 and the barge Tak Ten will return to Rotterdam in the next couple of days. Captain Geert Koffeman, leader of the team, has already returned home.
The crewman said: 'The salvage ship Smit Orca will stay here with four divers. We are waiting for a diving opportunity but it's not the weather for it and it does not look good.'
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments