| 2018-07-18: |
Grounding at Pentland Skerries. The 'Priscilla' ran aground on the Pentland Skerries between Orkney and the Caithness coast northeast of Duncansby Head enroute from Klaipeda to Silloth in positie 58° 40.91' N 002° 53.47' W with six crew members on board on july 18, 2018, at 03:30 a.m. The Thurso RNLI and the utility vessel 'Green Isle' were first on the scene. The tug in vain made attempts to refloat the cargo ship after the crew had reported no significant damage and there was no sign of pollution. A second, more powerful tug, the 'Multratug 20 has arrived from Scapa Flow in Orkney for another attempt to refloat the ship at mid-afternoon, just before high tide. The coastguard's emergency towing vessel 'Ievoli Black' was expected at about 18:00. The weather conditions on scene were relatively calm - bron Vesseltracker.com
Refloating now a salvage operation. The bid to refloat the 'Priscilla' from the Pentland Skerries is now a salvage operation, with preparations started on July 20. The ship, which has a cargo of fertiliser, ran on to the shelf of rock, off Duncansby Head. A succession of attempts to pull the vessel free, latterly by the coastguard tug "Ievoli Black", proved unsuccessful. The job was now in the hands of a consortium of three salvage companies, Multraship, Ardent and Wagenborg, which has been appointed by the owners of the "Priscilla". The crew remained safe and no pollution has been reported coming from the ship. A temporary exclusion zone of 500 metres was established around the site to ensure the safety of those involved in the salvage - bron Vesseltracker.com
Good progress has been made to remove cargo and oil from the 'Priscilla' in the Pentland Firth, the vessel had been carrying 3,000 tonnes of fertiliser. The operations to prepare the vessel for a refloat were progressing well. The agreed quantity of bunkers has now been safely removed from the 'Priscilla'. During the last day, the salvors have removed 28 tonnes of marine gas oil from the vessel 15 tonnes will be left for essential services, as the six crew members remained on board. Since July 23 more than 270 tonnes of cargo has been removed to a reception barge, which was taking the fertiliser to another vessel at Windwick Bay, South Ronaldsay. A second barge is now loading cargo, and the operations will continue until 1,350 tonnes have been removed in order to lighten the vessel. Pressurised air will also be pumped into the ship's tanks, ballast will be removed, and an attempt will be made to refloat the vessel on high water. If successful, a brief inspection will take place before the ship is towed to a safe location for more in-depth investigations. The Temporary Exclusion Zone remained at 1,000 metres while the operation and activity were ongoing, actually on scene were the tugs 'Forth Guardsman', 'Forth Trojan', 'Green Isle'b and 'Multratug 20' - bron Vesseltracker.com
Salvage team successfully refloats stranded cargo ship. Salvage experts have refloated a cargo ship which has been stranded for the past week. The 'Priscilla' became stuck on the Pentland Skerries off the Caithness coast after running aground on July 18. On Wednesday evening july 25, 2018, the ship was refloated successfully. It is understood checks were then made on the 'Priscilla' to ensure she was seaworthy before she was towed away towards Scapa Flow. Part of the ship's 3300 tonne cargo of fertiliser were earlier offloaded onto a barge to lighten the vessel, while 28 tonnes of oil have also been removed. The six crew on board are said to be safe and well / bron STV News
Grounded ship escaped with little damage.The 'Priscilla' has been allowed to continue its passage south. Inspections revealed she suffered only minor damage when she got stuck on the Pentland Skerries on 18 July. A dive inspection had revealed some minor damage which did not affect the structural integrity of the vessel. The salvage contract was terminated on July 27, and the ship was passed back to its owners. It will now be allowed to continue its passage to Silloth in Cumbria with its remaining cargo under various strict condition. Part of the ship's 3,300 tonne cargo of fertiliser was offloaded onto barges during the salvage operation to lighten the vessel, while 28 tonnes of oil were also removed ahead of the refloating. Following discharge in Silloth, the owners will submit their future passage plans to take the vessel to a repair yard. On july 28 the ship remained at anchor in Scapa Flow, awaiting suitable weather conditions for the passage - bron Vesseltracker.com |
