Container Vessel Refloated in Dover Strait

On the morning of Wednesday, January 2, the German-registered LT Cortesia ran aground on the Varne Bank while traveling through the Dover Strait. Carrying 42,785 tons of cargo in containers, the vessel was en route to the Suez Canal when the incident occurred. The LT Cortesia is owned by Conti Holding GmbH & Co KG but is on a long-term charter to the Evergreen Group.

A Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) press release summarizes the details of the grounding: “The LT Cortesia is a large container vessel of 90,465 Gross Tonnes and was traveling through the Dover Strait in the South West bound lane from Thames Port on route to the Suez when she ran aground on the Varne Bank 9 miles South of Dover Harbour. The vessel has 27 people on board who are all uninjured. Crew members are checking for damage on board but the cargo is reported to be secure and early indications are that the vessel is watertight. There is no reported pollution from the vessel.”

The LT Cortesia was later refloated by three “powerful tugs” at high tide and then “. . . pulled stern first off the sand bank” on the evening of the day of the grounding. The Coast guard Emergency Towing Vessel Anglian Monarch, which was on scene to “. . . help evaluate any external damage to the vessel and assess the options for salvage of the vessel,” was also available during the refloating operation to assist if needed. Since the refloating, the LT Cortesia “. . . made her way to a safe anchorage in the Downs approximately 10 miles East of Dover where she will undergo inspections . . .” When MarEx went online, no results of the inspections had yet been released.

On the evening of the refloating, the Secretary of States Representative for Salvage, Hugh Shaw, said, “We are very pleased that the salvage operation has resulted in such a large vessel being quickly refloated and removed from a potentially very hazardous situation. The vessel will be inspected at anchorage by surveyors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency tomorrow, as well as the vessels Classification Society Germanischer Lloyd. We will then be able to make a decision on where the vessel will go next.”

For the latest news on the LT Cortesia please see the MCA Web site here.