SMIT Salvage Removes Hazardous Cargo From Jolly Rubino

Approximately half of the hazardous cargo onboard the grounded ‘Jolly Rubino’ has been airlifted off the casualty in the last 9 days. SMIT Salvage personnel have removed 1000 barrels from the deck by air, as well as 6 empty 20-ft. cargo containers – giving them access to those containers still on deck deemed to contain the balance of the hazardous cargo. This operation is ongoing and is expected to be completed by the end of the week. Cargo removed from the ‘Jolly Rubino’ is airlifted by a powerful Russian Mi-8 helicopter to a high security temporary holding area located on land 9 miles south of the ‘Jolly Rubino’. 154 tons of oil skimmed off the water surface in the engine room since the beginning of last week has been collected and is awaiting transfer to the storage tanks on the Anchor Handler ‘Pentow Service’. It is expected that predicted good weather and sea conditions will facilitate fuel removal operations from tomorrow. High swells prevent the ‘Pentow Service’ from taking transfer of the collected fuel today. The removal of the balance of the oil onboard, including oil displaced into the cargo holds when the port and starboard fuel tanks were breached and became open to the sea, remains a high priority. Salvage personnel report that the onboard fire is still smouldering in certain places on the casualty, 31 days after the fire began.