This week’s incident photo is of the M/V Laurel, a 26,800-deadweight-ton bulk carrier, which was in a dry dock undergoing routine maintenance in Talcahuano, Chile in February when an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country.
The quake generated two tsunamis, which lifted the M/V Laurel up and out of the dock, thrusting it forward onto the pier bulkhead. The ship’s engine and steering rooms, as well as its No. 5 cargo hold, flooded because the vessel’s sea valves and manholes were open.
Just recently, TITAN Salvage and the Chilean based tug and salvage company Remolcadores Ultratug, partnered to patch the hull, discharge the remaining heavy fuel oil and shift some ballast to obtain the correct trim. The team also fabricated a custom built 17-ton jacking plate on site and placed it under the bow, along with four, 14-meter rubber air bags to serve as jacks when inflated.
With several hundred tons of ground reaction on the bow, the Laurel‘s bow was lifted off the dry dock wall and the vessel was gently eased back into the water. The Laurel, the dry dock and a 380-ton caisson door, which was precariously positioned beneath the Laurel’s bow, suffered no damages.
More info at TITAN Salvage HERE
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 109,752 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
The iconic 65-foot replica tugboat Theodore TOO, beloved by Canadians and fans of the classic CBC series Theodore Tugboat, has partially sunk at Ontario Shipyards in Port Weller. According to owner...
In a quiet corner of the Pacific last August, a vessel unlike any other was making what many thought was its final voyage. R/P FLIP (Floating Instrument Platform), the U.S....
Wendover Production’s latest video, “How Inland Waterways Work,” the spotlight is on the often-overlooked yet vital network of U.S. inland waterways that power much of the economy. These rivers and...
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 109,752 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
