Status: 10.11.2023, 17:16 PM
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The hull of the cargo ship "Polesie". © Sina Schuldt/dpa
After the fatal freighter collision on the North Sea, the first work on the sunken "Verity" is to begin this Saturday afternoon. The salvage company commissioned by the shipowner's owner had organized a diving vessel and a tugboat, the spokeswoman for the Directorate-General for Waterways and Shipping said on Friday afternoon.
Heligoland - "It is planned to shorten the two masts of the wreck, which should achieve more water depth," it said. According to this, the water column above the mast is around 15 meters. The work is weather dependent.
In addition to the mast shortening, experts are to investigate whether there are leaks on the wreck that require action. Initially, two working days are planned, according to the spokeswoman. The Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA) is accompanying the work, and the multi-purpose vessel "Mellum" of the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration will be in operation. In addition, the Wilhelmshaven traffic center will monitor the area with radar and the AIS system, which ships use to exchange navigation and ship data.
On 24 October, the two freighters "Verity" and "Polesie" collided in the North Sea southwest of Heligoland. The "Verity" sank. Authorities believe that five seafarers died in the accident, four of them aged between 43 and 47 are still missing. Dpa