VMAX invited to act as Moderator at the Dive Technology Summit in Fujairah, UAE Sept 27th 2021.
VMAX provided Salvage Consultancy services for general cargo vessel “MV Muzah” that had run aground in a remote location Jazirat Al Sawda, off the coast of Oman.
VMAX participated in an inspection and provided Salvage Consultancy for a 180m LOA product tanker, “MT Lousia” that had run aground on the breakwaters of Sharjah Port Entrance, UAE.
VMAX provided Salvage Master/Consultancy for the refloating on a 50m, 70 ton Bollard Pull Anchor Handling Tug “AHT Melody 5” that had run aground on the beaches of Umm Al Quwain, UAE. The tug was successfully refloated safely.
VMAX provided salvage consultancy to a 7000 GRT product tanker “MT IBA”, that had run aground on the beaches in Umm Al Quwain, UAE, due to a severe storm. The vessel was successfully refloated and towed to Dubai, UAE.
VMAX attended and provided Salvage Master/Consultancy for a Super Max Bulk Carrier “MV Evangelia M” aground for 4yrs in 4mtrs of water, off the Port of Kakinada, India. The vessel was successfully refloated
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May- Aug 2020 VMAX Salvage Consultancy
VMAX provided Salvage Consultancy, formulating a salvage/refloat plan and overseeing Naval Architecture Calculations and discharge sequence on the grounding of a 300m 6000 TEU Container ship with a buckled hull in Indonesian waters.
VMAX supported with Salvage Master/Consultancy for wreck removal operations in the Maldives. All visible wreck sections were removed successfully in a very eco-sensitive environment, protecting the eco-marine environment from damage.
Link (https://themagazine.maritime-executive.com/editions/2020/2020-05-sept-oct-brand/index.html) citation Page 31-32
SANCTIONS
Lockdowns aren’t the only regulatory hurdle affecting salvage this year. The U.S. Treasury Department has increased its use of sanctions targeting shipping, particularly in pursuit of foreign policy objectives in Iran and Venezuela. In the event of a casualty involving a sanctioned vessel, any salvor has to contemplate whether providing aid could lead to U.S. penalties – and whether it would be possible to accept payment from a sanctioned shipowner. It’s happened before: U.S. sanctions were an obstacle after the wreck of the Alpine Eternity, a product tanker which allided with an Iranian offshore platform in 2015. Captain Seva was there for the job and remembers the bureaucratic challenge: “The P&I club had to get permission from the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control, and we had to go through their exemption mechanism in order to manage the casualty.” Now he’s concerned about a much more serious problem. Last year, the Iranian tanker Happiness 1 suffered flooding in her engine room and lost propulsion in the Red Sea. She was carrying one mil- lion barrels of oil, and if the situation had deteriorated, a serious spill could have resulted. “No commercial salvor could do anything about it because of the sanctions on Iranian shipping,” Seva said. The vessel was eventually towed into port by Saudi responders, but the outcome could have been different. In January 2018, the Ira- nian tanker Sanchi burned and sank with all hands off China. If the same incident occurred today, any salvor who assisted her would run the risk of sanctions. “There must be some form of agreement under which pro- fessional salvors are allowed to help a sanctioned vessel quickly because our job is to save lives and protect the environment,” Seva observes. “There must be a line drawn between politics and emer- gency response.
Our Managing Director Capt V Seva has been accepted as a Member of Lloyd’s Panel of SCR’s, This is a Milestone for Vmax-Marine.