SvitzerWijsmuller Salvage today, Sunday 26/3, was able to start with further stabilisation activities following the control that was achieved over the situation and condition of the casualty in the past few days.
During yesterday Saturday 25/3 the fire fighting and salvage teams of SvitzerWijsmuller Salvage were able to board the burning casualty twice while she was under tow, using breathing apparatus and other personal protection gear, for two separate inpection rounds through several compartments of the casualty. What is presumed to be fire fighting water was noticed to be present in some compartments. This morning the SvitzerWijsmuller ocean going tug SMITWIJS ROTTERDAM, which sofar controled the casualty by towing her, was brought alongside to act as a working base. Salvage pumps from the SMITWIJS ROTTERDAM were located in certain compartments to start the dewatering process in order to make a start with getting excessive stresses in the casualty under control. Tug RAS ISA, which today Sunday 26/3 arrived on site with the 15 tons of salvage and fire fighting equipment that was flown in to Aden from The Netherlands, is in the process of transferring this equipment to the SMITWIjS ROTTERDAM, which in turn is using her crane for transferring the fire fighting and salvage equipment onto the casualty in order for it to be engaged in operations.
The planning is now to further execute stabilisation and control activities, which are to include a piece-by-piece attack on the still burning and smouldering containers on board of the casualty. These 'watertight tins' need to be attacked one by one to ensure that the fires inside them are extinguished.
Fire fighting tugs remain in attendance.
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