Work to salvage the wreck of a Thorco Shipping multi-purpose vessel (MPP) that sank off Singapore in late 2015 is set to begin this week.
The 10,385-dwt Thorco Cloud (built 2004) sank after a collision with the 37,438-dwt chemical tanker Stolt Commitment (built 2000) that —an incident that claimed the lives of six seafarers.
Singaporean authorities have announced the establishment of a temporary 400-metre-wide exclusion zone for salvage operations in the precautionary area of the Singapore Strait and in the east-bound traffic lane of the Singapore Strait traffic separation scheme.
The exclusion zone is due to go into effect from 18 June and remain in place until 20 August, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) confirmed.
“Mariners are advised to navigate with caution and give the area a wide berth,” the maritime regulator added.
In late March, the Standard Club awarded the wreck removal contract to Chinese state-backed salvor Guangzhou Salvage.
The Thorco Cloud is said to be lying at a depth of 70 metres (229 feet) and will be one of the deepest wreck removals ever undertaken.
Reports say the wreck has broken in two and is likely to have degraded further after more than three years on the seabed.
Reports from the MPA at the time of the sinking said the vessel contained some 560 tons of bunker fuel. However, around 440 tons was reportedly removed in April 2018.
