Italian firm to undertake recovery of remaining oil from Solar I
The London Protection and Indemnity (P&I) Club contracted the services of Sonsub International Pty. Ltd to recover the remaining industrial fuel oil in the sunken tanker Solar I lying off Guimaras waters since August. The cost of recovery operations is from US$6 to 8 million. The recovery operation is set between February and March of 2007.
Sonsub, is an Italian company which has an office in Singapore for its Asian clients. It is a worldwide leading provider of subsea construction services to the off-shore oil and gas industry, specializing in innovative engineering, construction and maintenance services.
Joel Weston, Sonsub Regional Manager for Asia-Pacific, said there are things to be considered before the actual recovery stage. He said they have to do the engineering works which takes time. The equipment to be used in the recovery operation will be made purposely for such job. They could not just immediately proceed with the work without proper equipment.
He added that the weather condition is good between February and March. The stability factors of the vessel as well as pollution risks are to be considered. The vessel is deeply immersed in mud seabed some 640 meters below sea level.
Sonsub was favored among three companies because of its track record on the recovery operation it made on a sunken tanker in Spain four years ago. The tanker named Prestige was carrying 77,000 tones of heavy fuel when it broke into two off of the coast of Galicia in Spain last November 13, 2002.
Weston said Sonsub's operation in Prestige is much more complicated than in its future operation in Guimaras. The operation includes the use of the Remote Operated Vehicles.
A drill hole with a core drill in the deck of the tanks where the fuel is tapped is to be made. They will also install water injection pipes to permit water to enter the tanks. A shuttle will also be lowered to the Solar I wreck, over the valves and open the valves and shuttle doors to find an area to put the drill, said Weston.