The 20,000TEU Mumbai Maersk, which run aground on 2 February outside the port of Bremerhaven, was refloated at high tide on 4 February at 1:30 am Central Europe Time (CET).
The operation was conducted in close cooperation with salvage company Smit and the German Havarikommando, according to the Danish ocean carrier, which stated that “Our vessel Mumbai Maersk, which ran aground outside Bremerhaven, Germany on 2 February, is safe afloat.”
“At least eight tugs were used for the refloating of the Danish-flagged vessel,” told a Smit’s representative to Container News, adding that a second attempt was needed to free Maersk’s giant ship.
Mumbai Maersk is now moving away with restricted maneuverability from the site and is expected to reach its port of destination in Bremerhaven later today (4 February).
Maersk said that if the vessel assessment finds any reason to further delay the sailing to the next port Gothenburg, Sweden, it will action alternative options to minimise the delay. “This could include a feeder vessel to the remaining ports left on the rotation or making another vessel do an extra loop,” the company added.
The cause of the Mumbai Maersk grounding is still not known and the Copenhagen-based box line said that there will be an “internal investigation” into the reasons for the incident.
The tug configuration during the refloating operation:
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Author: Antonis Karamalegkos
Photo: ArnoudNL / Shutterstock.com