Karmsund Shipping is struggling to recover the workboat “Maya”, which has been lying at the bottom of the sea off Karmøy, Norway since February following a towing accident.
The 30-ton vessel sank during a towing operation and has remained approximately 60 meters below the surface, according to a report by Haugesunds Avis (Paywalled), as cited by iLaks.
Since the incident, both the fishing community and the company have made several attempts to salvage the vessel. On Thursday, September 5, the company tried using winching equipment with a 60-ton capacity. While they initially managed to bring the boat to the surface, it slipped away during the process.
After doubling the rope capacity, the boat was pulled closer to shore to allow diver access, before the rope failed.
Further efforts were made on Saturday, using three vessels with increased winch capacity, but challenging sea conditions created a dangerous situation.
“We were crashing into the wreck due to the sea conditions, which caused one of the lines to snap. It became too risky and dangerous,” Leif-Kåre Sørvik, managing director of Karmsund Shipping told Haugesunds Avis.
Currently, the “Maya” remains on the seabed closer to the shore, with Karmsund Shipping consulting a company with crane capabilities. However, lifting the vessel may prove difficult, as the crane operators have indicated they would only proceed if significant wave height remains under 0.3 meters—an unlikely condition this year, Sørvik told the local newspaper.
