Salvage Response to Damaged Ship Called "Phenomenal" by Coast Guard

The American Salvage Association (ASA) is proud to report that a salvage operation performed by one of its members was recognized by the Coast Guard for its professionalism and effectiveness. The response effort mounted by the ASA member off the coast of Puerto Rico to the 900-foot damaged container ship MSC Idil has been called “phenomenal” by the U.S. Coast Guard. In a press release on the incident, Sector San Juan Incident Management Division Chief Lt. Kristen Preble was quoted saying that the key to the success of the 11-day response effort was the combined effort from the U.S. Coast Guard, MSC, and the salvor and its subcontractors. Commenting on the professionalism of the salvage responders, Lt. Preble continued, “Their ability to quickly and effectively work together to address the safety of the crew, the ship, and the environment under demanding conditions was phenomenal.”

The ship suffered an onboard explosion May 11, approximately 60 nautical miles north of Puerto Rico, during the vessel’s transit to Barcelona, Spain.

The cause of the explosion is being investigated. The MSC Idil reportedly had 588,000 gallons of fuel oil and 62,000 gallons of diesel onboard at the time of the incident.