CSCL Indian Ocean Readied for Next Refloat Attempt

Salvage teams are preparing to refloat the ultra large container ship CSCL Indian Ocean during a spring tide on Tuesday.

The CSCL Indian Ocean, grounded on the Elbe River near Hamburg on February 3, and several earlier attempts to refloat the vessel have failed.

The ballast water and most of the fuel have been removed from the vessel, and two dredgers have deepened the river at the scene. This, along with a spring tide on Tuesday, is expected to provide the conditions needed to free the vessel.

According to German media, the 399.6-meter (1,300-foot) vessel lost a starboard anchor and about a hundred meters of chain prior to the grounding while it was waiting to make the Elbe transit. The incident was not reported to local authorities, and the cause and significance of the loss is unclear.

CSCL Indian Ocean was en route from Felixtowe to Hamburg when it is believed to have suffered a blackout and steering failure which led to it grounding near Grunendeich.

The 19,000TEU CSCL Indian Ocean is owned by Chinese shipping company China Shipping Container Lines.