The Netherlands-based surveying firm Fugro has reported successful refloating of its geophysical survey vessel, Fugro Mercator, off the north coast of Italian island of Elba. The vessel run aground on March 22; though the cause is yet to be determined, harsh weather condition were reported in the area at the time.
On Friday, Fugro said that the vessel was safely towed back to port and is at a shipyard for inspection. The incident caused no injuries and no harm to the environment. A full review of the event is ongoing to determine what caused the vessel to run aground.
“We are grateful to the Italian coastguard and our partners for their swift response in evacuating our crew and salvaging the Fugro Mercator,” said Erik-Jan Bijvank, Group Director Europe and Africa.
The Fugro Mercator was performing survey work for the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) as part of the Italian government’s Marine Ecosystem Restoration (MER) Project. The initiative is being carried out under the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which aims to restore marine habitats, update the national system for observing marine and coastal ecosystems, as well as map marine habitats across Italian waters.
The two-year project began in January and Furgo is working alongside Italian partners Poliservizi Srl and Prisma. In addition to the surveys, two seabed tsunami early-warning stations in the Sardinian Channel and the South Ionian Sea will be included.
Fugro has said that it working with the Italian government to ensure the survey work goes uninterrupted after the grounding incident. In this regard, Fugro has committed to dispatch another survey vessel, Fugro Helmert, which will sail to the Mediterranean to pick up the Mercator’s project. This will minimize the overall impact of the incident, added Fugro.
Please tell us the history of ALLIGATOR from its founding until today.
Alligator was founded in 1913 in Amsterdam as A.A.H which stand for Amsterdamse Asbesthandel. Soon after their start up, the company was moved to Rotterdam after the 1st world war because of the rise of the maritime cluster in Rotterdam.
What services do you offer to Shipping Companies?
We offer our clients, which are ship suppliers an extensive range of technical products varying from big valve to gaskets firehose and couplings, welding equipment and sanitary items like faucets. All from Stock form all 4 of our locations. I.e Houston, Singapore, Shanghai and Rotterdam.
Are these services certified according to international quality assurance standards?
Yes all our service are according international quality assurance standards, only we made a conscious choice not to be certified. Our customers are so service and quality minded that of our processes and regulations are not of the highest standard, they will refrain using our services.
What are the reasons why shipping companies would choose you over your competitors?
We are confident that we have the right product at the right price, but more importantly we pride ourselves in having stock available in all our locations, ensuring that the shipping companies have as little down time as possible.
What are Alligator's products? / What are Alligator's core offerings or areas of expertise?
How have the ongoing piracy and the war events affected your company?
It has not really affected us to be honest.
source: www.maritime-executive.com
