Cargo Ship Refloated in Iceland

Update (Sunday): The grounded cargo ship Samskip Akrafell was refloated at about midnight on Sunday after spending most of Saturday hard aground along the east coast of Iceland.

The vessel was floated free and towed to nearby Reyðarfirði by the fishing trawler Aðalsteinn Jónsson and accompanied by the Coast Guard vessel Aegir.

The Icelandic Coast Guard reported that no pollution was observed during the salvage operation. An update later Sunday said that once in port crews began pumping water from the engine room of the Samskip Akrafell, and it is believed that oil did leak from the vessel.

Six people were aboard the Samskip Akrafell during the refloating including the captain.

Some photos of the refloating are below.

Previous (Saturday): Efforts are underway today to refloat a Cyprus-flagged cargo ship that ran hard aground along the east coast of Iceland.

The general cargo ship Samskip Akrafell ran aground early Saturday and began taking on water. The Icelandic Coast Guard is responding to the incident has transferred pumps to the vessel. Media reports indicate that non-essential crew have been evacuated.

There is an ongoing effort to monitor the area for pollution, including coast guard overflights. The coast guard reports so far there is no visible pollution in the area.

Divers will conduct an underwater assessment of the ship before any attempt to pull the ship free.

Photos courtesy Icelandic Coast Guard

Grounding: