Aquila Recovered by Briggs Salvage Team
On the 10 September 2009, Briggs Marine received written instruction from the insurance company to recover the sunken Scallop trawler Aquila. Aquila sunk in July from a tragic incident off the North West coast of Scotland, between Ardnamurchan and Eigg; killing three of her four crew members.
Shortly after the sinking a salvage company had been awarded the contract for the wreck recovery, the attempt was protracted and ended in failure; the company were removed from the operation. The previous salvage attempt had left the wreck in an exposed location beneath a cliff face some 22 miles South West of Mallaig.
Upon receiving the insurers instruction, Briggs marine immediately mobilised the salvage and pollution response teams to affect the recovery of the wreck. The 250 ton lift barge Mersey Mammoth was employed for the operation and berthed in Mallaig on 13 September (a tight squeeze). Due to the nature of the incident the MAIB had employed two inspectors for the recovery of the operation alongside a member of the counter pollution team in the MCA.
Mersey Mammoth sailed from Mallaig on the morning of 14 September bound for the salvage site. The wreck was located very close to the shore in a natural bay where scant chart information was available; consequently a survey of the rocky seabed was conducted prior to allowing the salvage vessel to enter the bay.
After setting the salvage vessel into a mooring pattern, the salvage team conducted a diver survey of the wreck. The wreck was found upright on a bed of rock and shingle. Divers reported approximately 50 bags of scallops in the hold; however, access was too dangerous for entry and removal. A rigging plan was constructed and divers set about the task of channelling underneath the hull to allow lifting wires to be passed through. Fuel vent pipes were blanked to avert the possibility of any leakage during the recovery operation. When secure and during commencement of the ebb tide, the wreck was lifted to the surface. Salvage pumps were landed onto the vessel and holds pumped dry. As soon as Aquila was dry and free floating she was lifted onto the deck of Mersey Mammoth. It had been reported that Aquila had a GRT of 29 tons this had transposed into a lift weight of 130 tons.
When declared safe, MAIB inspectors boarded Aquila and conducted a thorough investigation of the vessel, inside and out.
The wreck was secured on deck and transported to the BUTEC facility in the Kyle of Lochalsh. On 15 September the Mersey Mammoth arrived at BUTEC, her weight prohibited berthing alongside, consequently Aquila was lifted into the water.
When in the water the vessel listed heavily to Starboard, this was due to the cargo movement from the previous salvage attempt (whereby the wreck had been rolled). The cargo hold was gas freed and entered to commence cargo transfer, the stench emanating from well-rotted 8-week-old scallops is significant, leaving the hardiest of men retching. Transferring the cargo returned Aquila upright and she was towed to the BUTEC facility and moored alongside.
