Shipping - Shipping company does not want to salvage sunken freighter "Verity"
Almost two months after the ship collision in the North Sea off Heligoland, it is still unclear whether the sunken freighter"Verity" will be salvaged. The owner of the ship told the Directorate-General for Waterways and Shipping in Bonn that he did not want to salvage the wreck, contrary to what was initially announced, as the authority announced on request. The federal authority is now examining whether it will salvage the ship itself. There was initially no information on the amount of the possible salvage costs. The "Kieler Nachrichten" newspaper first reported on Friday.
The Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV) had set the owner of the "Verity" a deadline for salvage by the end of the year. The owner, the shipping company Faversham Ships, based in Southampton in southern England, has not yet responded to an inquiry from the German Press Agency on Wednesday.
According to the authority, international law allows the owner to limit its liability for the ship to a certain maximum amount. "In the case of the "Verity" accident, all salvage costs in excess of the guaranteed minimum sum are to be borne by the federal government," the authority continued. The owner's limited liability will be significantly lower than the expected salvage costs, it said.
Following an inspection, work to salvage the wreck should be put out to tender "as soon as possible". There is currently no plan to salvage the fuel, the Directorate General announced. However, there is currently "no acute risk of fuel leakage". The wreck lies at a depth of around 30 meters.
On October 24, the "Verity" and the freighter "Polesie" collided southwest of Helgoland. The "Verity" sank. The authorities believe that five sailors lost their lives in the accident. The captain was recovered dead. Four sailors are still missing. Two sailors were rescued.
The 91-metre-long "Verity", which flies the British flag, was carrying so-called steel coils, i.e. rolls of large metal sheets, and was on its way from Bremen to Immingham, a port on the English North Sea coast.
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- Despite the deadline set by the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration, the shipping company Faversham Ships, based in Southampton, has not yet made a decision on salvaging the sunken freighter "Verity" in the North Sea.
- The owner of the freighter "Verity" initially announced plans to salvage the ship, but recently informed the Directorate-General for Waterways and Shipping in Bonn that they do not wish to pursue this option.
- The Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration is currently evaluating whether it will be necessary to salvage the ship itself, given the limited liability of the shipping company, as stipulated by international law.
- If the decision is made to salvage the sunken freighter, a tendering process will be initiated for the salvage operations, which will likely involve a significant expense, as the wreck lies at a depth of around 30 meters in the North Sea.
- The "Kieler Nachrichten" newspaper reported that the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration is considering the possibility of salvaging the freighter "Verity" after the owner announced they would not proceed with the salvage operation.
- The salvage of the "Verity" has been stalled due to the limited liability of the shipping company, which will only be responsible for a maximum amount of the potential salvage costs, with any excess costs being borne by the federal government.
- The salvage of the freighter "Verity" and the associated costs become even more complex in light of the ongoing investigation into the accident that occurred on October 24, off the coast of Helgoland, which involved the "Verity" and another freighter, the "Polesie".
Source: www.stern.de
