…As BW Offshore’s FPSO Departs Singapore, Heading to Gabon***
The ordeal of the fire-stricken merchant vessel SSL Kolkata, operated by Shreyas Shipping and Logistics Limited, is far from over.
Namely, following the explosion and a fire that took place on June 13 in the ship’s cargo area, forcing its 22 crew members to abandon ship, further explosions have been reported on board the ship.
The ship’s crew members had been evacuated from the vessel and they are reported to be safe.
“The international salvors, Smit, have reported that further explosions have been heard from stand-by vessel Lewek Altair, and that SSL Kolkata has developed a list to starboard with the deck now part submerged,” the port operator said in a release.
SSL Kolkata remains aground some 7.5 nautical miles off the Indian Sunderbans, Kolkata, West Bengal, in shallow water and sitting on soft mud.
Shreyas said that the removal of bunker fuel and cargo remain a priority and that salvors and authorities are making every effort in this regard. Several support vessels are standing by for observation and potential anti-pollution duties in order to prevent any pollution from cargo or fuel oil.
“While there has been no release of any fuel oil to date, plans have also been developed by the authorities, salvors and other experts to address this eventuality. These include the deployment of absorbent booms and other countermeasures,” the company said.
“Shreyas takes its environmental responsibilities extremely seriously and will make every effort to ensure that this situation is brought to a safe and timely conclusion, despite the very challenging monsoon season conditions which are currently being faced.”
At the time of the incident, the vessel, which was carrying 464 containers, was on its way from India’s Krishnapatnam Port to the port of Kolkata.
In the meantime, the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit BW Adolo has left anchorage in Singapore and is on its way to the Tortue field offshore Gabon.
According to its operator, the Norway-based BW Offshore, the unit is expected to arrive at the field in August 2018.
“The BW Adolo was completed on time, with increased life extension scope enabling an extended production profile on the back of positive reserve developments,” Carl K. Arnet, the CEO of BW Offshore, said.
The BW Adolo has an oil storage capacity of 1,350,000 barrels and a production capacity of 40,000 barrels of oil per day.
In a separate statement, BW Offshore informed that it received a one-year contract extension for the lease and operation of the FPSO Umuroa.
The FPSO is operating on the Tui field offshore New Zealand for Tamarind. The firm period has been extended from the fourth quarter of 2018 to the same quarter of 2019.
World Maritime News
