Incident Photo of The Week – M/V Laurel Up and Out of Chile Dry Dock

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

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