Accidents
North Sea: Sunken freighter to be salvaged in 2024
The freighter “Verity” sank in October 2023 after a collision in the North Sea. photo
© Dietmar Hasenpusch/Photo Productions/dpa
The cargo ship “Verity”, which sank in a collision, has been lying on the bottom of the North Sea for almost five months. Now the wreck is to be recovered. The responsible authority sets specific requirements for this.
For the recovery of the freighter that sank after a ship collision “Verity” in the North Sea off Heligoland, a Europe-wide tender is currently underway. As a spokeswoman for the General Directorate of Waterways and Shipping in Bonn announced, a contractor is being sought who can begin the salvage of the coaster “immediately after the order is placed and in any case complete it this year”. .
The tender therefore includes, among other things, the recovery of the wreck, the cargo and the fuel, including all water-polluting substances such as oils or cleaning agents.
On October 24th, the “Verity” and the freighter “Polesie” collided southwest of Helgoland. The “Verity” sank. Authorities believe that five sailors died in the accident. The captain was recovered dead. Four sailors are still missing. Two sailors were rescued. The 91-meter-long “Verity”, flying the British flag, was loaded with steel coils, i.e. rolls made of large sheets of metal.
The shipping company itself is not planning any salvage operations
Contrary to what was initially announced after the accident, the owner of the ship, the shipping company Faversham Ships based in southern England, declared that it did not want to salvage the sunken “Verity”. That’s why the federal authority now has to take care of the rescue.
According to the authority, there is currently no specific period for the campaign. This should be determined by the salvage specialists and the Weser-Jade-Nordsee Waterways and Shipping Authority. Most recently it was said that we should wait for the winter storms first. According to the Waterways and Shipping Administration, recovery is still necessary. “Due to the position and the fuel on board, the wreck poses a danger to shipping and the environment,” the authority spokeswoman said. However, there is still no acute risk of a fuel leak.
The question remains open as to how the wreck could be recovered at a depth of around 30 meters – for example in one piece or in segments. In any case, the contractor must ensure that there is no environmental pollution during the salvage work – neither from the “Verity” nor from the ships and equipment used, said the spokeswoman for the General Directorate.