A ship that sank twice in a river in Klaipeda was transported to a repair pier – send a strong message to shipowners

“Finally”, perhaps in a word, could be the end of the epic called “the drowning of ships”. By acting in a concentrated and coordinated manner in the face of this rather serious and in some respects threatening situation, we have achieved the goal: unsafe boats must not be moored at the Dangė pier, ”says the Mayor of Klaipėda, Vytautas Grubliauskas, who paid close attention to the withdrawal of the boat from the river. According to him, this incident became an opportunity to inspect other boats on the Dangė River.

“The message we are sending today to all shipowners and dock operators is strict and unequivocal: in the future, any contract with shipowners who want to dock in the sky must unconditionally include the responsibility of all parties in the event of accidents or incidents. The process of managing and liquidating the consequences of such situations must also be guaranteed, ”says the mayor of Klaipėda.

Alvydas Butkus, CEO of UAB Klaipėdos laivų remontas, who is also the head of UAB Klaipėdos pilies uostas, confirmed that the ship’s hull, which was safely delivered to the dock, will be repaired in the near future. After its sealing works, the ship will return to the old mooring place. But, only after its owners have formalized their rights and obligations in writing with the Klaipėda Castle Harbor Manager in advance, it is written in the municipal report.

“I am glad that we managed to remove the obstacle that posed a threat to shipping from the river, a possible source of environmental pollution. The ship also had the opportunity to extend its life,” said Klaipėda Deputy Mayor Arūnas Barbšys, who supervised the actions of removing the boat that bears the name of the drowning from the river.

After the fishing vessel Ole Willasen, which sank for the second time this autumn, was spotted in the Dangė river near the castle harbor in early November, the Klaipėda city authorities, holding several meetings on the subject, sent an unequivocal message to the shipowners: a municipality with such a right.

The Klaipėda City municipality owns the docks managed by the UAB Klaipėdos laivų remontas concessionaire, on which the one registered in Norway in 1948 was located. A fishing boat was built.

The ship, registered for the first time in Norway, sank in early October. Following the timely sighting and prompt response, the ship was rescued from a tragic fate. However, it soon became clear that the measures taken had not been effective: a month later the water began to sink again in the boat and it was again threatened to drift to the bottom of the river. The captive ship was warned in time by the dispatcher of the port authority. After pumping the water out of the boat and for the second time I managed to keep it in the water.

The towing operation of the ship to the repair dock, which involved municipalities, port authorities, UAB Narųservisas, persons authorized by the shipowner and representatives of other interested institutions, was a serious challenge due to the very poor condition of the ship. It was feared that Ole Willasen might drown on the way to the repair dock.