Europe unprepared for mega container ship casualty

As result a of the lack shallow draught heavy lift equipment to deal with a grounding event any port blockage could last far longer than the four months that Dali blocked Baltimore for example.

Dali lost electrical power exiting Baltimore port colliding with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed, blocking access to the port for nearly four months, considered to be a rapid recovery time for such a major incident. A 1,000 tonne crane deployed was instrumental in making this salvage possible at speed.

Delegates at last week’s Seatrade Maritime Salvage & Wreck conference in London considered a similar, hypothetical, emergency occurring in a UK estuary, with an expert panel offering their view on how such a situation might evolve.

The scenario, described by Andrew Chamberlain, a partner at Holman Fenwick and Willan, considered a 22,000 teu container ship which had an engine room fire as it approached a port in a UK estuary. The master had sent a mayday message, and the crew had abandoned the burning vessel, which then runs aground.

Chamberlain described the “huge logistical challenges” necessary in handling an incident of this magnitude including up to 46 national and local authorities and stakeholders involved in such a major recovery, including environmental and fishery protection agencies.

Related:How salvors carried out Dali wreck removal safely

Chief harbour master for the Port of London Authority, Capt James Stride pointed out that if the vessel had run aground in the Thames estuary, there would not be the unified control seen in the US with the Dali. There would be local teams forums, with up to three local councils involved, London, Kent and Essex, if there are two or more localities involved it is more likely that central government will be represented.

First panel expert is Stephan Hennig, UK government’s Secretary of State Representative for maritime salvage and intervention, who described the local jurisdictions including the port and local authorities that would be involved in responding to the developing situation.

“From my point of view, I’m tasked with overseeing responses to the incident… my fit will be a co-operative effort from an authority view to bring this to a conclusion, but from this scenario it will not be quick.”

Hennig added that any port receiving a vessel of this size will now have vessels trapped inside the port and ships unable to enter the port as a result of the fire and ongoing rescue and salvage operation.

For Hennig managing the operational response is also linked to managing peoples’ expectations in a world where news updates are minute-by-minute, the salvage of a ship this size would take months.

Related:Did a loose cable connection cause Dali blackouts?

Currently the UK’s national contingency plan is mostly concerned with pollution incident mitigation, as such there are no cranes large enough to handle a grounding and fire of a mega-container ship in Europe.

That means the process would take significantly longer to manage, and that requires managing the information flow, but also making certain that the right processes are put in place to meet the challenges, beginning with the most pressing priorities.

Captain Ajaz Peermohamed, VP of Claims at insurer Gard, lists the concerns in order of precedence, people, environment and property.

For Peermohamed it is important to question whether the vessel is blocking critical cargoes such as food and fuels from entering the port, which could cause issues with electricity supply, including the availability of the internet.

If for example tankers carrying clean fuels for London’s four major airports, could this cause issues with the operation of flights.

From a salvage company perspective, Daniel Dettor, Director of Business Development at Resolve Marine, said it is critical to know what’s on board the vessel, but that salvors will need to make structural assessments at the outset.