Divers and surveyor to consider possible salvage of ‘Astrid’ Kinsale harbourmaster Capt Phil Devitt said it was too early to speculate what decision might be made
The Astrid early yesterday morning on rocks at Ballymacus point off the mouth of Oysterhaven harbour. Photograph: Michael Prior
The Astrid early yesterday morning on rocks at Ballymacus point off the mouth of Oysterhaven harbour. Photograph: Michael Prior
Fri, Jul 26, 2013, 10:57
First published:Fri, Jul 26, 2013, 01:00
Divers assessing the state of the Dutch tall ship Astrid which is aground off the Co Cork coast are due to consult with a surveyor today on whether it is possible to salvage the vessel.
The 42m steel square-rigger was “holding fast” on rocks at Ballymacus point off the mouth of Oysterhaven harbour, where weather conditions had eased considerably, according to the Naval Service.
Video: 30 rescued as Dutch tall ship sinks off Cork coastline
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As the 23 trainee sailors rescued from the vessel travelled by bus to Dublin yesterday, the ship’s captain Pieter de Kam expressed the hope the ship could be salvaged and repaired.
A Dutch surveyor is due to arrive in Kinsale today, but Kinsale harbourmaster Capt Phil Devitt said it was too early to speculate what decision might be made.
Lieut Cdr Terry Ward of the Naval Service patrol ship LE Róisín, which maintained a 200m exclusion zone around the hull for safety purposes, said the hull was fast aground, with little movement in a half to one metre swell. While the entire hull was covered in high water, its stern and a third of the main deck were clear in low water, and it was “defiantly flying its colours, the Dutch flag”, he noted.
All 30 crew and trainees were taken off the ship after it lost power leaving Oysterhaven with the Gathering cruise on Wednesday morning and ran aground.
Michael Byrne of Sail Training Ireland paid tribute yesterday to the emergency response in Kinsale, which ranged from providing food and clothing to free passport photos and transport by a local bus company to Dublin.
The eight Irish trainees who were on board the ship, bound for Cherbourg, were due to stay with their European counterparts in a hostel in Dublin last night, and group counselling was offered.
Irish and Dutch authorities have initiated an investigation into the circumstances of the grounding, which occurred in a 4m swell and force four to five southerly winds. Speaking in Kinsale yesterday, Capt de Kam said “it’s just like a beautiful woman. You lose her, it’s the same feeling.
“But maybe I am not losing her, maybe we can repair her. We shall see,” he said.
“It’s a part of your life, you are living with her day after day after day. And when you come into this situation it’s not nice of course, you have bad feelings.”
Trainee sailor Rachel Skelly said recalling the details of the sinking was difficult. “It did get emotional last night. Me and one of the girls, we were staying in her brother’s house, so we talked about it which was a bit emotional to go through the detail of it again,” she said.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/divers-and-surveyor-to-consider-possible-salvage-of-astrid-1.1475208Salvage experts to meet with insurers over sunken sail ship Astrid is substantially intact but lifting it will be 'a complex operation'
The Astrid early yesterday morning on rocks off the mouth of Oysterhaven harbour. Photograph: Michael Prior
Fri, Jul 26, 2013, 14:33
First published:Fri, Jul 26, 2013, 11:30
Salvage experts will today meet the surveyors for the insurer of Dutch sail training ship, Astrid to put together a wreck removal plan to salvage the ship which sank off the Co Cork coast on Wednesday.
Salvage expert, Colm Harrington carried out a dive on the Astrid yesterday to assess the damage to the vessel which sank after hitting the Sovereign Rocks near the mouth of Kinsale Harbour after losing engine power around midday on Wednesday.
Mr Harrington said it should be possible to salvage the 95-year oldship as she remains intact apart from some rips along her hull where rivetted plates popped open when she struck the rocky shoreline after hitting the rocks.
The Astrid early yesterday morning on rocks at Ballymacus point off the mouth of Oysterhaven harbour. Photograph: Michael Prior Divers and surveyor to consider possible salvage of ‘Astrid’
Video: 30 rescued as Dutch tall ship sinks off Cork coastline
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“Her bow is in about ten metres of water and her stern is in about a metre of water and she’s pretty much intact apart from those rivets that have popped on some of her plates so it will be possible to salvage her,” he said.
“The job will involve getting slings under her and lifting her with specialist equipment because with she’s a heavy ship - 254 tonnes and with all the water inside her, you’d need the slings underneath to provide the support - we have to do now is agree wreck removal plan with the insurance surveyors”.
Mr Harrington said he had spoken with the owner and skipper Pieter de Kam and showed him a video of the damage and they agreed that it was unlikely that the Astrid could be repaired to continue as a sail training vessel.
“We showed the video footage we had to the owner and he was in agreement that he wouldn’t be able to repair it - it would have to be repaired to a very high standard to continue bringing people out on sail training and I don’t think it would be possible to do that.
“It’s a pity because she’s a magnificent ship - she was finished to a very high standard and looked immaculate down to the paintwork - there was a lot of money spent on her about ten years ago after a fire so it’s just very sad to see her now lying on the seabed,” he said.
Mr Harrington explained that if a wreck removal plan is agreed with the ship’s insurers, it will then have to submitted to the Irish Coastguard for approval and while it may prove a complex operation, the aim is to try and begin the removal as soon as possible.
Lieut Cdr Terry Ward of the Naval Service patrol ship LE Róisín, which maintained a 200m exclusion zone around the hull for safety purposes, said the hull was fast aground, with little movement in a half to one metre swell.
The 42m steel square-rigger was “holding fast” on rocks at Ballymacus point off the mouth of Oysterhaven harbour, where weather conditions had eased considerably, Lt Commander Ward said.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/salvage-experts-to-meet-with-insurers-over-sunken-sail-ship-1.1476009
