Fuel oil removed from vessel off St. Lucia

Salvage firm says it has successfully removed 230 tonnes of fuel from a submerged vessel off St. Lucia.

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Updated on 19 May 2010 13:27 GMT

Titan Salvage has announced that it has successfully removed 230 tonnes of fuel from a submerged vessel off the southern coast of Saint Lucia. The 6,704-gross tonne fully cellular containership (657-TEU capacity), which was en route to Guyana in late February, capsized and sank in 105 feet of water, approximately two miles from the port Vieux-Fort. No lives were lost in the incident. Titan was contracted by vessel owners to remove the hydrocarbons and other hazardous materials onboard. The company said it worked closely with Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA), and local contractors to safely complete the fuel removal operation, mitigating the risk of an environmental incident. The removal of fuel and other contaminants onboard the vessel was performed by a team of seven Titan divers working from a supply vessel moored over the casualty. The vessel functioned as a dive platform as well as a place to receive and store the contaminated bunker fuel. While divers worked in near perfect visibility in turquoise Caribbean waters, they regularly encountered rough seas and strong currents. All recovered fuel and hydrocarbons were transported to Puerto Rico for proper disposal. Titan, a wholly owned Crowley subsidiary, is a worldwide marine salvage and wreck removal company based in Pompano Beach, Florida. The company has performed over 350 salvage and wreck removal projects since 1980. Titan also has offices and equipment depots in Newhaven, UK and Singapore.