Salvaging the Cargo Ship ROSTOK

ROSTOK, a 4,900 grt general cargo ship laden with steel coils, suffered steering failure, causing it to ground across the banks of the Sulina Channel, near Partizani, Romania, in 1991. Shortly thereafter the vessel capsized and rolled on her starboard side. Three previous salvage attempts by other salvors proved unsuccessful, leaving hull and cargo still submerged and posing a serious hazard to navigation. In 2003, fifteen companies and consortia tendered for this wreck removal, of which only two pre-qualified. The River Administration of the Lower Danube (AFDJ) awarded the contract to the Rostok Wreck Removal Consortium. The operation, funded by the European Investment Bank, commenced on 1 November 2004. The Rostok Wreck Removal Consortium consisted of Netherlands-based Multraship Salvage, USA-based Titan, and Deltacons, a Romanian river engineering company. Despite 6-knot currents and zero visibility conditions, the Consortium members managed to cut the hull in several sections and tandem- lift them out using floating sheerlegs and a barge mounted Titan linear pullers, thereby successfully removing the wreck, remaining cargo and the heavy mud that filled the vessel.