Resolve Marine refloats, tows stricken MV Kaami to a drydock in Scotland

Salvage specialist Resolve Marine has refloated cargo vessel MV Kaami, which ran aground in the Minch between Skye and Lewis, Scotland in late March, completing response operations with her tow to a dry dock in Loch Kishorn Scotland.

The salvage operation was concluded after 43 days of working in northern Scotland’s unforgiving weather.

The ship was refloated using a combination of salvage patches and compressed air. The vessel was then towed and redelivered to Kishorn, Resolve said.

“From the beginning, we knew this response was going to present a host of unique challenges,” said Dimitri Theodorou, Resolve’s Director Emergency Response.

“From the location and weather to global travel conditions created by the Coronavirus pandemic, the teams focused on personal safety as they executed an urgent response.”

Despite unpredictable weather conditions and difficult conditions associated with the COVID-19 restrictions, Resolve said that its salvage teams and equipment, mobilized from bases in Europe, Africa, and the United States.

As reported earlier, the ship ran aground in the early morning of March 23, 2020. The freighter was carrying eight crew and 1,900 tons of SRF pellets.

Initial search and rescue efforts by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) UK focused on evacuating the crew from the stricken vessel.

Soon after, a Lloyds Open Form was agreed between Resolve Marine and the vessel’s owners.

Working closely with the U.K. Secretary of State’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (SOSREP), MCA, and owner’s Special Casualty Representative (SCR), a salvage plan was developed to mitigate pollution threats, stabilize the vessel and prepare her for refloating.

The team’s priority was to remove the vessel’s bunkers containing approximately 63 tonnes of fuel. Once the fuels were removed, the team’s attention turned to removing the 1,900 tons of SRF pellets cargo which posed a significant environmental threat.

The 1994-built open hatch singledecker is owned by Norway’s Misje Rederi, VesselsValue’s data shows.