PATHARA MARINE 5: Sank off Bangkok Bay, Thailand – SEPTEMBER 2015
Project Summary
Laden inshore container vessel, “PATHARA MARINE 5”, sank in rough seas in Bangkok Bay, Thailand, on the 19th September 2015 with several of the crew missing. Its cargo of 88 containers were scattered on the nearby seabed. The vessel was subsequently located in 15m water depth and the local authorities instructed it, and the submerged containers, be removed. LOC were appointed by the vessel P&I Club.
LOC’s Scope of Work
- Monitor the recovery of the vessel and its cargo,
- Investigate the cause of the sinking.
Risks
- Potential hazard to navigation,
The Operations
Given the potential danger to navigation, the Thai authorities promptly appointed contractors, AZ Offshore, to both search for and recover the vessel and missing containers. The vessel was located in an upright condition and attempts were made at refloating by a combination of blow down into spaces on board, lifting with a crane and belly slung external buoyancy tanks.
Results
“PATHARA MARINE 5” was refloated on the 6th October 2015 and, once above the water surface, de-watered with portable pumps. During this latter operation, the missing crew members were found. Over a period of time most of the missing containers were located over a wide area and recovered from the seabed.