Salvage Teams Face Hectic Start to 2025 with Global Maritime Incidents

The maritime salvage industry entered 2025 at full capacity, with teams responding to numerous vessel casualties within the first two weeks of January. The diverse range of incidents highlighted both the unpredictable nature of maritime operations and the sophisticated capabilities of modern salvage operators.

In the United States, the bulk carrier Algoma Verity ran aground on January 8 in the Delaware River north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge while carrying 45,000 tonnes of solar salt. Resolve Marine and Moran Towing successfully refloated the vessel on January 11 during incoming tide, despite damage to four ballast tanks and one fuel tank. Notably, no pollution was reported.

Canadian waters saw the 185-meter bulk carrier Maccoa grounded near Verchères on the St. Lawrence River after suffering power failure on December 24. Smit Salvage refloated the vessel on January 7 after unloading more than 3,000 tonnes of corn cargo onto barges, demonstrating the effectiveness of weight reduction strategies.

In Brazil's Campos Basin, the anchor handling vessel Bram Force caught fire on January 8 while supporting the P-37 FPSO. After a 12-hour firefighting effort, the engineroom fire was extinguished, all crew were rescued, and the vessel was towed to Port of Açu for inspection.

European operations included the successful refloating of the service workboat Frøylys near Hitra, Norway, and the safe towing of the Panama-flagged tanker Eventin carrying approximately 100,000 tonnes of oil in the Baltic Sea.

Industry analysts note that the concentration of incidents in early 2025 reflects challenging winter weather conditions and emphasizes the importance of maintaining robust salvage response capabilities globally. The successful outcomes demonstrate the effectiveness of international cooperation and advanced salvage technologies.