The Salvage of the Car
Carrier Tricolor
THE SINKING OF THE TRICOLOR:
The ‘TRICOLOR’ is a 1987 built Norwegian flagged vehicle
carrier, which, in thick fog in the early hours of
TRICOLOR sank as a result of the impact of the striking and
was eventually declared a total loss.
Subsequently the ships the Nicola and the Vicky collided with the wreck of the Tricolor.
In December 2002 French authorities ordered the TRICOLOR to
be removed, as it was perceived to represent a danger to shipping and the
environment.
SUBSEQUENT COLLISIONS WITH THE WRECK OF THE TRICOLOR:
Inspections are being carried out on the Turkish-registered
Vicky to see whether any fuel is leaking into the Channel after the collision
at
The 22-year-old
Vicky is the second vessel to strike the Tricolor, which was carrying 2,862
BMWs, Volvos and Saabs worth an estimated £30 million when it sank off the
French
The coastguard is
hopeful that even if there is a major leak, then kerosene being highly
flammable will evaporate quite quickly, so there won't be massive damage to the
coastline.
None of the 24 crew
on board the Vicky, a 243 metre-long, 43,000 tonne tanker which was sailing
from
The ship became stuck on the Tricolor but later came free with
the rising tide.
The captain sailed the vessel about a mile away and dropped
anchor before beginning to survey for damage.
Maritime union
NUMAST said "Russian roulette" was being played with shipping safety
in the Channel.
The Dover
Coastguard spokeswoman said that despite hourly warnings to ships in the
Channel about the submerged Tricolor, the ultimate responsibility always lay
with the master of any vessel.
She said: "We have been conducted VHF radio broadcasts
warning of the wreck of the Tricolor every hour, as have the French
authorities. The information has been out there. It is for any subsequent
investigation to say what happened in this case."
The wreckage is
marked by five illuminated buoys, including one that is radar-equipped.
Mark Clark, spokesman for the Maritime
Coastguard Agency, said: "It just emphasises how busy this stretch of
water is. There's four to five hundred ship movements through it per day."
The Vicky, built in
1981, is a single-hulled, double-bottomed vessel -- meaning it has an extra
layer of metal around the base of the hull.
The wreck of the Tricolor was hit again by the Nicola, a
3,000-tonne ship registered in the Dutch Antilles, on December 16.
The Nicola, a 3,000 tonne ship
registered in the Dutch Antilles, struck the Norwegian vessel, which sank off
The Nicola was
stuck on top of The Tricola for several hours before being pulled free by two
tugboats on Monday morning, .
A French
Maritime Authority spokesman said The Nicola was not believed to have suffered
serious damage. It is currently anchored nearby.
THE SALVAGE OF THE TRICOLOR:
The Tricolor, a Norwegian-registered car carrier, was carrying
£30 million ($47.7m) worth of luxury cars when it sank in the
Although all of its crew escaped unharmed, the tanker -- and its
cargo of almost 3,000 BMWs, Volvos and Saabs -- lay just below the surface.
The salvage operation required the cutting of the TRICOLOR into
six managable sections for lifting and transportation by cutting through the
hull with a steel wire.
Click here to
see enlarged photo
A team of eight and a vessel from salvage company Smit Tak are
in position about 20 miles east of the
High winds and strong sea currents prevented divers from going
down to the wreck to assess damage on Sunday.
The French warship Geranium, sent from
When weather improves, three or four buoys will be placed around
the wreck.
The Tricolor was carrying the cars from Zeebrugge, in
In a statement, Per Ronnevig, spokesman for shipping firm
Wilhelmsen Lines, which owned the carrier, said as well as the cars, the
Tricolor was also transporting 77 other cargo units, which mainly consisted of
tractors and crane parts.
The vessel was estimated to be worth £25.1 million ($39.9).
Ronnevig said the the cargo would probably have to be written
off.
He said: "I think we must consider it lost. She probably
capsized when she went down. It means that all the cars are probably lying in
pieces down there."
THE SPECIFICATIONS OF THE TRICOLOR:
Single screw PCTC (Pure Car Truck Carrier)
Build at Tsuneishi 1987
GRT 49.792 - LPP 190 m
Registered in
Owned by Capital
On bareboat-charter to Wilh. Wilhelmsen
Commercial operation by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines AS
Manning and technical management with Barber Ship Management AS,