Salvors Prepare to Refloat MV Benita in Mauritius

The MV Benita aground in Mahebourg, Mauritius.

The salvage of the MV Benita continues in Mauritius more than a mont after it ran aground following an incident involving a rogue crew member.

International salvors Five Oceans Salvage reported Thursday that the vessel remains hard aground and in stable condition with no significant changes.

Inclement weather conditions has hampered the salvage operation this but preparatory work for an attempt to shift away from the rocks and re-float the vessel continue and should be completed shortly.

So far over 200 cubic meters of contaminated fuel oil and lubrication oil have been safely removed ashore, while skimming of oily water residue continues as a precaution. Work to sanitize and seal the vessel is nearly complete, with Five Oceans reporting over 5 kilometers of welding as part of the effort to seal and pressurize the cargo tanks and void spaces.

Tugs remain on site and continue to be connected to MV Benita in order to prevent the vessel from running further aground as result of the bad weather and to assist with the re-floating operation.

Five Oceans reported Thursday that should the weather conditions allow and the operation to continue as expected, crews hope that an attempt to shift the vessel away from the rocks and possibly re-float the vessel can be made in the next few days.

The vessel has made headlines in recent weeks after an episode involving one of the ship’s crew members ended with the ship running hard aground on June 17 in Mahebourg, Mauritius.

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