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The salvage of the TRICOLOR is on schedule, and weather permitting the cutting operation will commence next week. On the 8th of July the installation of the messenger wires was completed. The wires will be used to pull the special cutting wire underneath the wreckage of the TRICOLOR. The platforms Vagant and Buzzard will be used to operate the cutting wire. The two platforms are expected to leave the port of Zeebrugge early next week.

The TRICOLOR will be cut into nine sections which will be lifted onto the semi-submersible barges. The sections will be transported to Zeebrugge where the cargo will be taken out of the wreckage. On specially prepared sites any materials which may have a detrimental environmental impact will be removed and the cargo will eventually be dismantled.

Yesterday the international press attended a press conference in Zeebrugge. The press conference concluded with a tour of the Vagant.

All operations will be conducted with due care for the environment and safety of passing vessels in this important shipping lane. The CBT will station an anti-pollution vessel in the vicinity of the TRICOLOR throughout the operation.

The TRICOLOR is a 1987 built Norwegian flagged vehicle carrier, which, in the early hours of 14 December 2002, was struck by KARIBA, a 1982 built Bahamian flagged container ship, in the French Exclusive Economic Zone some 20 miles north of the French coast in the English Channel. The TRICOLOR sank as a result of the impact of the collision and was eventually declared a total loss. In December 2002, French authorities ordered the wreck to be removed, as it was perceived to represent a danger to shipping and the environment.

For more information please contact:

Combinatie Berging Tricolor
Lars Walder
Public Relations Manager CBT
Tel: +31 (0) 10 454 92 74
Mobile: +31 (0) 6 53 43 27 65
Mail: l.walder@smit.com