Grounding - Salvage
27.12.2017 |Articles
|
A tanker fully laden with more than 70,000MT of cargo ran aground in the Qiongzhou Strait. The grounding caused a close attention of the local MSA who considered that a great risk of oil pollution to the sea was created. A senior ocean captain as well as experienced lawyers of our law firm, on receipt of our client’s instruction, immediately hurried to the grounding site to navigate with the shipowner, Master of the subject vessel and the MSA officials as well for an appropriate salvage plan. Upon negotiation, our salvage plan, which was considered to be the safest, most cost-saving and effective one, was finally chosen and accepted by the shippwner and the MSA. 16 vessels were dispatched by the MSA to help the tanker for transshipment and refloating operations, anti-emergency and prevention of oil pollution, escort etc.. 4 tugs dispatched by Nanhai Rescue Bureau as entrusted by the shipowener for towing operations, stand-by and transportation service etc.. Afterwards, all parties concerned required the shipowner to provide a reliable security, which upon our efforts, was reduced from the original “RMB55.0 million + USD4.0 million” to the final “RMB45.0 million +USD2.7 million”.
All parties involved (including the MSA, shipowner of the barges for cargo transshipment and the MSA ) had formally claimed for their services rendered in the salvage with a total amount up to RMB62.0 million, our defenses and challenges in response thereto are now still in progress.
|