Tricolor Incident

The following extracts from Lloyd's List appear with the kind permission of Lloyd's Casualty Desk. London, Oct 27 - The Combinatie Berging Tricolor consortium reported today: The wreck removal of vehicle Tricolor has now been successfully completed. With a constant focus on safety and environment everyone involved in the removal operation have managed to prevent danger and further pollution. Last month all large sections of the Tricolor wreck had been removed. After this the salvage team focussed on removing the remaining debris and wrecked cargo. London, Jul 28 - The Combinatie Berging Tricolor consortium reported Jul 23: With the delivery yesterday of one more large section from vehicle Tricolor wreckage to the scrap site in Zeebrugge all large sections have been removed from the seabed. Up until today the salvage team has removed in excess of 8,500 tons of debris. The team will continue its work on the wreckage with the large grab on Taklift 4, which they temporarily detached for the lifting of the last large section of approximately 500 tons. This weekend the grab will be re-attached to Taklift 4 in Zeebrugge. For the remainder of the operation Taklift 4 will have to remove relatively smaller parts of the vessel and its cargo, ranging from parts of the car decks, hull sideplates and cars which lay scattered around the area. All activities are currently performed as scheduled. Depending on weather conditions, the work will be finished in September. London, Jun 21 - The Combinatie Berging Tricolor consortium reported Jun 18: The CBT salvage team is continuing its work on the vehicle Tricolor wreckage in the English Channel. Floating sheerlegs Taklift 4 and the supporting vessels Union Beaver and Banckert, which have been working on the wreckage since the re-start of the salvage operation in May, have continued their activities. The sheerlegs is picking up debris from the battered deckside of the vessel. So far this year the sheerlegs has removed approximately 5.000 tons of debris. London, Jun 10 - The Combinatie Berging Tricolor consortium reported Jun 4: The floating sheerlegs Taklift 4 continues its work on the vehicle Tricolor wreckage. Since the salvage operation resumed on May 15, the floating sheerlegs has lifted approximately 3,500 tons of debris from the seabed. A barge continuously carries the debris at approximately 700 tons per trip to Zeebrugge, where the material is processed. Taklift 4 is currently lifting wreckage debris from the deckside of Tricolor, which was pounded to pieces by the swells. At the keelside of the remaining Tricolor sections roughly four double bottom sections are still intact. These will be lifted in due course by the use of chains or wires. London, May 25 - Clearing the wreck of the vehicle Tricolor from the middle of the English Channel is proving to be one of the most costly and complex

salvage operations ever attempted. But the consortium responsible for removing the sunken car carrier and the hundreds of luxury vehicles still on the seabed will not make any money from the huge undertaking. Under the terms of the their contract, salvors will be paid euro45m, but the final bill is expected to be much higher because of the length of time taken. By the time the mangled remains of the Tricolor and 2,800 cars it was carrying are finally removed, it will be almost two years since the accident - assuming salvage work this summer goes according to plan. The Tricolor was involved in a collision in December 2002, and capsized within about 30 minutes. The vessel also created a navigational nightmare as the hull was hit by two other vessels in the days following the initial impact. Because the vessel was on its side in the middle of some of the world's busiest shipping lanes, the French authorities ordered its removal. London, May 14 - A press report, dated today, states: Efforts resume this weekend to remove the wreck of vehicle Tricolor which sank in the English Channel with thousands of luxury cars on board in 2002, the salvage group said in Brussels. Salvage work was abandoned in November because of bad weather. Tricolor sank in December, 2002, after a collision with c.c Kariba in thick fog in Belgian waters north of Dunkirk. The consortium hopes to lift the remaining four sections and transport them to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge by September. Work is to resume tomorrow with an anti-pollution vessel on standby to prevent any oil leaks, although only small quantities of fuel are believed to still be on board. Rotterdam, Nov 12 - A press release, dated today, states: The salvage of vehicle Tricolor will continue once there are weather forecasts indicating an extended period of favourable conditions. Based on weather statistics from the past, it can potentially take several months (until April/May) before the operation can be resumed. In the past 21 days storms and high seas have hampered the wreck removal operation. To date, since the signing of the wreck removal contract on Apr 11, the vessel has been successfully cut into nine sections. Five of these sections have been lifted and transported to Zeebrugge. Severe winds of up to seven and even eight Beaufort (storm) have made the operation to remove the four remaining sections too dangerous. These sections are weakened due to the cutting operation and the bad weather. They can only be removed by using a floating crane equipped with a large grab. In order to resume the operation, the salvage team will require several days for the mobilisation of the necessary vessels and crew. Anchoring and positioning of the floating cranes and the barges to accommodate the sections will also be time consuming. Therefore, the continuation of the operation is only feasible if the weather forecast indicates an improvement for an extended period of time. In order to secure the safety of vessels passing the wreck, an internationally accepted safety system of cardinal buoys will remain on site, and adequate guarding will be maintained. It is estimated that approximately 1.5 % of the original quantity of oil can still

be contained within the wreck. This limited amount of oil can not be recovered at present. When the remaining sections are being lifted, the salvage team will once again deploy an anti oil pollution vessel properly equipped to recover any oil that might escape to the sea. The majority of the vessel?s cargo is still in the remaining sections, but there are remnants of the cargo scattered in the close vicinity around the wreck. The salvors will not only remove the four sections of the vessel, but will also collect cargo and debris from the seabed. Until this operation is completely finished, there will be a risk that some floating parts of the cargo (bumpers, tires) will drift in the ocean. Every effort will be made to recover this remaining debris for destruction. London, Nov 4 - A press report, dated yesterday, states: Vehicle Tricolor's salvage operation, due to finish this month, is to be extended by almost a year due to the number of vehicles still on the seabed. The Norwegian tanker, which sunk off the Belgian coast in December 2002, provoked an environmental disaster when it began leaking fuel. The tanker was carrying a cargo of Volvo, Saab and BMW cars at the time of its sinking, only 330 of the 2,862 cars which were aboard have been brought to the surface. "With vehicles still full of fuel, further environmental damage cannot be ruled out," said Captain Jacques Loncke, head of the Belgian Coast Guard. A massive salvage operation has been ongoing for several months, the vessel was sawed into several pieces before being towed to the port of Zeebrugge for dismantling. The final debris of the vessel's cargo is resting some 16 metres underwater and so is not longer a hazard for navigating vessels. London, Oct 28 - Following received from Combinatie Berging Tricolor, dated Oct 27: Unfavourable weather conditions have necessitated a temporary postponement of the wreck removal operation of vehicle Tricolor. The operation to remove the remaining four sections was scheduled to commence last week after the completion of the cutting operation on Oct 17. The operation will continue as soon as the weather forecast indicates an improvement for a longer period of time. The floating crane Rambiz, scheduled to lift the remaining sections, returned to Zeebrugge to seek shelter. Also the semi-submersible barge Giant 2 returned to Zeebrugge. Rotterdam, Oct 17 - 'Combinatie Salvage Tricolor' report that today at 0635 the eighth and final cut of the vehicle Tricolor was completed. This morning the specially designed cutting wire sliced through the last remaining centimetres of steel. During the final cut no oil pollution was reported. The remarkable cutting operation started on Jul 22. In less then three months the enormous vessel has been cut into nine pieces. The salvage team looks back on a successful operation, although the team had to overcome several technical problems and some unfavourable weather conditions. Five sections of the Tricolor have already been lifted and transported to Zeebrugge. Today the floating cranes Rambiz will begin to lift the remaining sections of the

Tricolor. The jack-up rigs Vagant and Buzzard will be demobilised and return to their home bases. The semi-submersible barge Giant 2 will stay at the Tricolor location to receive the remaining sections of the vessel and transport them to Zeebrugge. - SMIT Salvage BV. London, Feb 25 - M vehicle carrier Tricolor left Rotterdam Feb 23, for Hamburg. Maassluis, Feb 22 - M vehicle carrier Tricolor (49,792 gt, built 1987) departed Kallo locks for Rotterdam, grounded at buoy 66, outer fairway at 0130, local time, this morning. No damage reported. Vessel was refloated at 0255, local time by two tugs and is proceeding on voyage to Rotterdam. Lloyd's Sub-agents. (Note - Tricolor sailed Antwerp Feb 22.) Terneuzen, Feb 22 - M vehicle carrier Tricolor, Antwerp for Rotterdam loaded with vehicles, grounded near Buoy 66B, River Scheldt, at 0155, local time, Feb 22. Multraship Towage and Salvage and SUS directed their tugs to the scene and made fast under conditions of Lloyd's Open Form 2000. Vessel was refloated at high water. After a thorough inspection, vessel was able to proceed on voyage to Rotterdam. No visible damage found. - Multraship BV

"Thrice Bitten". On The Scene In The English Channel Dec. 14 AND 15 2002 AND Jan.1 2003

The Cargo Nightmare 3rd Place Prize Winner ! The Time: Sat. Dec. 14 2002 AND AGAIN Sun. Dec. 15 2002 AND AGAIN Wed. Jan.1 2003

The Place: 30 miles E. of Ramsgate, UK - The Channel

M/V Tricolor Vessel Type: - Roll-On, Roll-Off (RoRo)

Crew: 24

Registry: Norwegian

Built: Japan in 1987

Gross Tonnage: 49,792 MT

Date Vessel Entered Fleet:

Length: 109 meters Beam: 32 meters

Wallenius Wilhelmsen took delivery of 4 advanced Ro-Ro new buildings in 2000-01.

Capacity: 6,050 cars Decks: 4 hoistable decks Ramp Width: 12 meters Ramp Height: 6.40 meters

"Once Bitten" a song for the lost M/V Tricolor Verse

Chorus

"Somebody said that I'm a loner

"Cos' I've been bitten before, so I won't take anymore

Well I guess that could be

I know when there's trouble, I'm once bitten twice shy

See I was Bitten by a stranger To much for someone like me I know it was wrong

Well I've been bitten before, so I won't say anymore Life's full of trouble, 'till you're once bitten twice shy"

Now there's one thing for sure It happened to me, but it Music, lyrics & vocal melody: Ian Parry won't happen anymore" Proud Pre-Bitten M/V Tricolor In Better Days

ONCE BITTEN From The Cargo Letter of Sat. Dec. 14 2002 >> Norwegian-registered Wilhelmsen Lines ro/ro M/V Tricolor, Zebrugge, Belgium, for Southampton with 2,862 cars & 77 containers, in collision with Bahamas-registered 577-foot container M/V Kariba, 30 miles E. of Ramsgate, England. Tricolor sank --- resting on the bottom of Channel, but only partly submerged because tide low. Kariba returning to Antwerp, Belgium escorted by Belgian warship & French coast guard. Bad year for Ro/Ro's. Tricolor worth about £25M (US$40M) & cargo up to £31M (US$49M). (Posted Sat. Dec. 14 2002) Official - From Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines AS. >> "There were no personal injuries when the Norwegian car carrier TRICOLOR collided at 02:30 hrs. Dec. 14 in the English Channel with the Bahamas registered container vessel KARIBA. "The damage on TRICOLOR was so extensive that the vessel sank at approx. 05:00 hrs. local time and the vessel is now situated at approx. 25 meters depth. TRICOLOR was carrying 2,862 cars & 77 units of RoRo-cargo on its way from Zeebrugge to Southampton when the collision occurred. KARIBA was damaged above the water line and is now headed for Antwerp. The crew of 24 persons onboard TRICOLOR consists of a Norwegian Captain, a Swedish Cargo Superintendent & 22 Filipinos. "Onboard TRICOLOR were approx. 2,000 tons of bunker oil and according to information received from the French authorities, no oil has leaked from the vessel so far. We are cooperating closely with the French authorities.

"After the collision, the tugboat BOXER, being in the proximity, rendered assistance & picked up 21 of the crew of TRICOLOR. The other 3 were picked up by KARIBA. "TRICOLOR is owned by Capital Bank Plc. UK, and is (er, "was") on a long-term charter to Wilhelmsen Lines Shipowning AS, Norway. The vessel is managed by the Norwegian company Barber Ship Management AS, and operated by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines AS."

So, on Dec. 14 2002 M/V Tricolor with its US$49M cargo of almost 3,000 new BMWs, Volvos & Saabs -- the vessel lay just below the surface -- in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes Images of the scene bore a chilling resemblance to the aftermath of the sinking of the passenger ferry M/V Herald of Free Enterprise in 1987 near Zeebrugge harbor. Vessels using this busiest world shipping lane were warned of this sunken wreck blocking the route. A UK Coastguard boat remained alongside to alert other ships to the Tricolor's presence. But heavy fog was preventing a salvage operation assessment from been carried out. While shipping was being warned of the 50,000-ton, 200-meter ship obstacle, "the Dover Straits were expected to continue as normal," the French Coastguard said. Normal?

Salvage Vessel Asian Hercules

TWICE BITTEN

95 meter Dutch Antilles registered 3,000gt M/V Nicola (built 2001), La Coruna in N. Spain for Rotterdam with 7 crew, ran down the sunken Tricolor on Dec. 15 2002. The Nicola was stuck on top of The Tricolor for several hours before being pulled free by two tugs on Monday Dec.16 morning. A team of 8 & a vessel from salvage company Smit Tak were in position 20 miles E. of the Kent coast to check Tricolor for oil leaks, but high winds & strong sea currents prevented divers from going down to the wreck to assess damage on Dec, 15 2002. The 80gt French patrol vessel Geranium (P720), sent from Cherbourg, came alongside Tricolor to alert other ships to wreck. A single buoy

marked the spot. THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER COLLISIONS, vowed the French!

Diver Support Vessel M/V NORMAND FLOWER of SMIT Salvage Co

THRICE BITTEN

From The Cargo Letter of Wed., Jan. 1 2003 >> 'Turkish-registered 800-foot M/T Vicky (built in 1981), Antwerp, Belgium for New York with 2 million gallons of kerosene & 24 crew, struck wreckage of sunken car transporter M/V Tricolor<<webfeature in the English Channel Jan. 1 -- but was freed after more than 2 hours -- Tricolor, laden with BMWs, Volvos & Saabs, sank Dec. 15, after colliding in thick fog with a container ship 30 miles east of Ramsgate, southeastern England, ^ salvage efforts continue. How the hell do you hit this now well known wreck?" (Posted Wed, Jan. . 1 2003) No Injuries -- Damage Estimates US$49M For Cargo Alone Wreck Stabilized>>

On 25 February 2003 SMIT Salvage Co. reported that oil recovery operation on the wreck of M/V Tricolor has been completed. That means that all oil that can be safely reached & pumped has now been removed. Less than 5 % of the original quantity of bunker/diesel remains on board and will be recovered in conjunction with the upcoming salvage operation. The 960 meter Diver Support Vessel MPSV Normand Flower has left site & returned to Rotterdam to unload oil pumped from wreck. It will be disposed of in an environmental sound manner ashore. Two guard vessels will remain in order to preserve safety. The cardinal buoy system & other safety measures will remain in place. Wreck of Tricolor will hopefully be removed by the end of August 2003, although the process very much will be weather dependent. Official Wilhelmsen Lines: "It will have to be brought up in pieces. It's 20,000 tons of steel, and the size of 2 football fields. There isn't a crane in the world that can lift that." Agreement with SMIT Salvage Co. concerning Tricolor wreck removal (as distributed by Wilh. Wilhelmsen on March 21st, 2003) "Wilh. Wilhelmsen, representing the owners of TRICOLOR and Gard Services AS, representing the P&I Club, have reached an agreement in principle concerning removal of the TRICOLOR wreck with a consortium named "Combinatie Berging TRICOLOR" headed by SMIT Salvage B.V. and with Scaldis, URS and Multraship as partners."We are pleased that we have managed to reach agreement in principle with this consortium about what will be one of the largest wreck removal operations concerning a commercial vessel ever", says London-based lawyer Mr Morten Lund Mathisen of the Norwegian law firm Wikborg, Rein & Co, who has represented the TRICOLOR interests in the negotiations. "Now we will start working on the details. We hope to be able to sign the full contract some time next week, which will mean that the matter is progressing in line with earlier projections", Mr. Lund Mathisen states.Mr Hans Chr. Bangsmoen, the press spokesperson of Wilh. Wilhelmsen, states: "We are very satisfied that we are about to reach the second milestone in the case of removing TRICOLOR. The first milestone was reached upon removal of the bunker oil, thereby reducing the risk of harm to the environment. We now look forward to get the wreck removal contract signed and the operation started as soon as possible. The third and final milestone will be the completion of the wreck removal operation, including the prudent disposal of the wreck sections and cargo ashore."The following information concerning

the method and time of removal has been provided by the consortium: The wreck will be cut into seven sections of approximately 3,000 tons each by means of specially designed cutting wire system that was used in the lifting of the Russian submarine KURSK in the Barents Sea. Each wreck section, including the cargo inside, will be lifted by means of two sheerleg crane barges that have two times 3,000 tons lifting capacity. Thereafter each section will be positioned onto a transport barge and carried to a specially designed shore facility for further disposal. It is anticipated that the wreck removal operation may be completed this autumn - weather permitting." NOTE: More than 1,000 birds have been found dead or damaged by the oil of Tricolor, and many more likely have died at sea, environmental officials said. UPDATE: BRUSSELS, Belgium - Aug. 2003 - Salvage teams on Aug. 3 2003 raised the 1st section of Norwegian-registered M/V Tricolor from the bottom of the North Sea, where it sank 8 months ago with thousands of luxury cars on board. Two floating cranes took about 12 hours to lift the 3,000-ton stern &emdash; including part of the engine room, the propeller and some of the cargo &emdash; of the Tricolor from its resting place about 35 yards below the surface in one of the world's busiest sea lanes. The wreckage was set on a barge and was to be brought to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge early Monday, said Lars Walder, spokesman for the Dutch-Belgian consortium Combinatie Salvage Tricolor. A small oil slick seen in the area probably came from the engine, Walder said. He estimated the spill at 13-26 gallons, far less than the 3,000 gallons that leaked from the wreck and onto Belgian and Dutch beaches last winter. "We know there's still a little oil in there," he said. "That's why we have a special anti-pollution (oil recovery) ship alongside." The 16-year-old M/V Tricolor sank Dec. 14, 2002, after colliding with the Bahamas-flagged container M/V Kariba in thick fog about 20 miles N. of the French city of Dunkirk. Removing the wreckage became a priority after the Turkish M/T Vicky, with 25 million gallons of diesel fuel, struck it Jan. 1 despite warnings, as did two other ships. Most of the Vicky's cargo was off-loaded onto another ship, averting a larger disaster.

The US$40M Tricolor salvage effort began last month and is expected to finish by October. Salvage workers are sawing the wreck into 9 pieces with a specially designed, diamond-encrusted wire. Its cargo of 3,000 BMWs, Saabs & Volvos will be junked. UPDATE: BRUSSELS, Belgium - Oct. 2003 Floating cranes lifting the remaining sections of sunken car carrier M/V Tricolor from English Channel. Salvage team spent 3 months slicing 50,000gt M/V Tricolor into 9 sections "like cheese". Wreck has blocked part of English Channel for 10 months & lies around 30 miles E. of Ramsgate, Kent. Sections of ship's hull are to be lifted onto a barge & taken to Belgian port of Zeebrugge over next 2 weeks. 190meter Norwegian-owned vessel with thousands of luxury cars worth £30m when it collided with container ship in thick fog Dec. 2002. Two other ships later collided with wreck, as did salvage tug in late Jan. -- led to spillage of oil thought to have affected seabirds. Salvage operation is expected to cost of around £25m. Salvage team hope to finish pulling remaining pieces from water in 2 weeks. Weather may cause delays. UPDATE: LAX, The Cargo Letter - Oct. 19 2003 Dutch Antilles registered 3,000gt, 95mt. M/V Nicola, La Coruna in N. Spain for Rotterdam in ballast -- made #4 hit (of ships hitting M/V Tricolor) -- ran atop wreck & got stuck over Norwegian M/V Tricolor<