Bulk Ship Refloated Off Sweden

Photo: Swedish Coast Guard

The Liberian-flagged MV Victoria was refloated Sunday after spending more than one week hard aground on a shoal off Sweden.

The 46,000 DWT Victoria was pulled off the shoal on Sunday with the help of a tugboat after an operation to remove some of the ship’s wheat was completed late Saturday.

The 46,000 DWT MV Victoria was carrying a cargo of wheat from Germany to Guinea, West Africa when it ran aground on September 19th about 15 nautical miles from Varberg, Sweden. A dive inspection revealed a 3 meter gash in the ship’s hull below the waterline.

The Swedish Coast Guard said Monday that an inspection of the freed ship showed ‘extensive damage’, but bunker fuel tanks remained intact and the vessel was able to operate under its own power.

The ship was approved by the Swedish Transport Agency to make its way towards Halmstad, Sweden with the assistance of a tugboat. As of Monday the ship was showing alongside in Halmstad.

During the salvage, crews removed about 977,000 liters of heavy oil located in tanks near point of grounding.

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