Salvors to Remove Fuel from Lomars Grounded Newbuild

Haut-Commissariat de la République en Nouvelle-Calédonie Kea Trader, which struck a reef off New Caledonia last week, remains aground five days after the grounding incident, however, the ship is stable on the Durand Reef, New Caledonias government said in an update. The crew is said to be working on board with eleven experts from the salvage company Ardent Oceania Salvage to prepare for pumping out of 700 tons of fuel from the ship, before the ship is refloated in order to prevent it from being spilled into the sea. As informed, there has been no external pollution detected. The government added that it has mobilized available resources so as to facilitate the work of the salvage company. The newly-built Maltese-flagged Subpanamax ship, owned by Lomar Shipping, ran aground some 100 kilometres southeast of the island of Mare, on July 12. Based on the ship’s vessel tracking data, Kea Trader was en route from Papeete port in French Polynesia to the Port of Noumea, New Caledonia, when it grounded with 18 crew members on board, who remained unharmed.   The cause of the grounding is yet to be disclosed. World Maritime News Staff