Insurers of the grounded 73,600-dwt panamax bulker Solomon Trader (built 1994) are working on a plan to refloat it from a reef off Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands.
The vessel has been aground with 11,000 tonnes of bauxite onboard since it was caught up in Cyclone Oma on 5 February.
TradeWinds understands that plans are being drawn up by third-party liability insurer Korea P&I Club, salvor Resolve Marine and local authorities to remove the ship in one piece, although a date has not yet been fixed for the attempt.
The refloating option is the least environmentally destructive method, although its success will depend on tidal conditions and removing its remaining cargo.
Other possible alternatives are to cut up the vessel where it lies, which could bring further environmental damage, or to leave the ship where it is.
Salvors have already been successful in preventing further pollution. More than 70 tonnes of fuel oil is estimated to have spilled from the Solomon Trader after the initial grounding, although most of that has now naturally degraded, according to the Korea P&I Club. Shoreline clean-up operations are continuing.
But by mid-March, salvors had removed 230 tonnes of fuel oil from the vessel and expected to complete the fuel lightering operation shortly afterwards. Damage near the engine room, from which oil leaked, has also been plugged.
In an earlier statement to TradeWinds, Korea P&I Club said only minor leaks had been detected since the lightering operation had progressed.
However, the insurer added that further salvage operations are likely to be affected by the changeable weather conditions in the region.
“As is the case with all major maritime salvage responses, flexibility is required so the response teams can adapt to multiple variables including weather and tidal activity, the interchange of equipment and other setbacks,” Korea P&I Club said. “Resolve was selected to handle the response, given that it is a specialist and reputable organisation capable of working towards the best possible outcomes.”
Local authorities are keen to remove the vessel, which is located next to the Unesco heritage site of East Rennell.
Salvor Resolve Marine has had some recent success in refloating wrecks, completing the refloating of the chemical tanker 17,700-dwt Raysut II (built 1984), which ran aground at Fazayah Beach west of Salalah port in May 2018.
