Seli 1 - as featured on Salvage Code Red last night...a question?

[shamrock]

Last night's episode of Salvage Code Red featured the coal bulk carrier Seli 1 which had run aground off Cape Town.

She was fully loaded with coal and an obvious threat to the beaches & environment tween Cape Town & Robben Island.

Smit were employed to empty her fuel oil which they did, it took around a fortnight to complete.

However....

The Turkish owners of the ship then decided to walk away from her, thus denying any responsibility for her removal & leaving it to the South African government to raise the required amount of money to have the ship removed.

The ship was cracking up badly during the removal of her fuel oil and had more than one hull breaches in her stern area, so was judged by many as a total loss and unable to be refloated.

The question I have to anyone who may know the answer is how does a ship owner get away with just walking away & leaving a ship like that?

I thought an owner had a responsibility to deal with a ship even if that ship is beyond all normal assistance. I always thought they were duty bound to take appropriate steps to ensure that a dead ship was disposed of in a correct and timely manner, not just leave it to the elements & the government of where it foundered to get rid of.

[John Cassels]

Which TV channel was this ?.

[shamrock]

National Geographic Channel. It will probably be repeated again today or at some point during the next week.

[Billieboy]

As I see it shamrock, when the ship grounds then the underwriters own it, the ship is liable for pollution under IMO rules and the underwriters take the oil away at their cost. after the oil is gone the wreck and everything on board belongs to the underwriters who do NOT have any further legal requirements, to do anything.

[CISK]

Yes Billieboy but only after it has been declared an actual or constructive Total Loss.
If shipowners were not able to limit their liability, there would be no maritime trade or even cruise liners.
I suspect the same might apply to oil exploration companies, so President Obama needs to take care.

[Mendi]

Seli 1 could well be refloated after all cargo removed. There seems to be a plan to tow her to deeper water and sink her there. Hull is cracked, but back not broken.

[Billieboy]

Quite right CISK, I forgot to add that. If they are going to discharge the coal cargo, then the wreck owners may get a bit back!

[makko]

Quite right, guys. Quite simply put, it is the loss of an insurable interest (the working ship, making money for the owners) and salvage value for the insurers (scrap steel, sell on the vessel, remove and sell cargo). The owners are indemnified for their loss (value of vessel & cargo) and possession of the CTL passes onto underwriters who then proceed to recover their loss (insurance payout).
Thus there is more than a little truth in the saying,"Take the money and run"!
Rgds.
Dave

[Mendi]

Sel 1 is currently on fire with a massive blaze engulfing the superstructure!

[Abbeywood.]

Sel 1 is currently on fire with a massive blaze engulfing the superstructure!

Now I wonder how that happened. ?

[Mendi]

Contractors were busy scrapping superstructure and a fire broke out. Superstructure completely burnt out. We hope the ship will break up by Spring.

[JoeQ]

Owners may abandon a vessel to her insurers, the H&M insurer is then likely to attempt to salve the wreck in the hope of recovering some of the insurance payout. Depending on the local law the authorites may, if the wreck is not salved, issue a wreck removal notice and order the owner and/or the P&I club to remove the wreck and may be in a position to force one or other of them to take some action by e.g. arresting other assets within the jurisdiction. A lot will depend on the precise location of the wreck and the attitude of the local authorities.

[ZS1TP]

An update on the Seli 1:

Here are a few links on the update of the Seli 1. I have inserted them from old to new.

http://sawdis1.blogspot.com/2013/03/...tion-well.html

http://sawdis1.blogspot.com/2013/03/...weakening.html

http://sawdis1.blogspot.com/2013/03/...completes.html