Although work is underway to remove pollutants from an Albanian owned ship stranded on rocks in Paphos, it is still not clear if the vessel itself will be removed in the foreseeable future.
The EDRO III ran aground in stormy weather in Paphos on the rocky coast near Peyia Sea Caves, on December 8 last year and has remained there ever since. No-one was hurt during the incident, but the crew had to be airlifted to safety by a police helicopter.
Yiannis Efstratiou, a senior marine surveyor and head of the environmental protection division of the Department of Merchant Shipping, said the transfer of equipment to the area of the stranded ship was underway.
Equipment such as sea booms, pumps and generators are all being taken to the shore side close to the stricken ship.
Trucks are also being transported to the site which will be used in the process of pumping out oil and residues. The trucks will then carry these materials to be recycled in Limassol.
In addition, batteries, oxygen cylinders and any other possible pollutants, along with any oil and lubricants which may remain inside the vessel’s engines will also be removed.
The company undertaking this operation is Cemtexa. Although it is a Cypriot registered company, it is German owned.
Efstratiou said: “They will use subcontractors from Cyprus, but Cemtexa holds the overall responsibility for the procedure.”
According to Efstratiou, the company’s portfolio showed they have previous experience in three or four similar cases.
“The work will be concentrated on the removal of the pollutants and then the case will have to be reconsidered. There are no immediate plans to remove the ship.”
The ship weighs about 2,345 tonnes and is over 80 metres in length. It is stranded 15 metres from shore.
“No one is in a position to say what damage has been caused to the vessel as it is literally stuck on the rocks.”
Efstratiou said that work would also include the temporary sealing of any holes, followed by pumping out the water on board.
“I can tell you that there is a great quantity of water inside the ship,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I’m not optimistic that it will feasible to remove it.”
The area where the ship is stranded is part of the Natura 2000 project.
“We can’t go cutting into the rocks as it’s a protected area. The ship owners will have to reassess the situation once the damage is fully understood,” he said.
The first stage is estimated to take around 15 working days, but Efstratiou said that he believed the procedure could take up to a month to complete, depending on the weather.
The work will be supervised by a representative of the department at least for the first stage.
The captain of the ship is no longer on board, but a representative of the owner is staying at a nearby hotel and acting at a ‘sort of watchman.’
“He is there to protect the rights of the owner and will probably make an inventory of all of the items removed from the vessel. We will also prepare an inventory and obtain confirmation from the approved recycling facilities that all items such as batteries, chemicals and residues have arrived safely,” said Efstratiou.
