EMEA News
Mega-Boxship De-Bunkered, Re-Floated After Grounding
The CSCL Indian Ocean has been successfully re-floated after being de-bunkered, after it ran aground on its approach to the port of Hamburg last week.
An initial attempt to re-float the vessel saw some 2,500 tonnes of bunker fuel pumped from the ship to a barge, and even with twelve tugs in attendance the ship has remained mired since Friday.
The expectation of a high spring tide in the early morning of Tuesday saw a second attempt to re-float the vessel undertaken at 2:00 am, which was successful.
The ship in understood to have been moved on to Eurogate Terminal at Hamburg for inspection.
A statement from the Elbe pilots' association claimed the vessel suffered a technical breakdown; pilots moved the ship to the north of the river to keep the channel open when it ran aground.
The stranding of the CSCL Indian Ocean is said to bring "into focus" the "much-delayed" dredging of the Lower and Outer Elbe, according to media reports.
The CSCL Indian Ocean had been making the rounds of a scheduled east west loop.
In August Ship & Bunker reported on the potential effects of a CSCL merger on east trade routes.
