The Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) said in a statement yesterday that all five sunken fishing boats have already been raised and salvaged from the Inner Harbour, adding that the boats have been towed to Doca da Ilha Verde (青洲塘) to temporary berths.
The statement pointed out that the salvage work was completed yesterday and the bureau is dealing with the follow-up work, such as scanning the seafloor and removing the oil spilled by the boats.
The five boats sank when six vessels were gutted by a huge blaze and several explosions on April 25. The cause of the catastrophe – in which no-one was killed and only one person required hospitalisation for emotional distress – is still under investigation.
The statement underlined that the bureau had organised the salvage team to estimate the size of the area in the Inner Harbour where the sunken boats were lying and started the rescue plan at the beginning of May. The statement added that the team began working to raise the vessels on May 5, and three boats were lifted in the first five days, but then the salvage had to be suspended due to rainstorms. The team began lifting the remaining boats on May 13 and located the last vessel yesterday morning, the statement pointed out. The raised boats were towed as they were lifted from the seafloor to berths in Doca Da llha Verde, according to the statement.
The statement said that the bureau has arranged for the boat owners to check the damage to their vessels, apart from arranging certified documents for the owners to be able to take their boats to the mainland for repairs. The bureau also provided equipment, such as sump pumps for the boat owners to use to prevent their vessels from sinking again, the statement added.
The statement highlighted that the bureau will remove the oil booms and the warning buoys after cleaning the oil from the harbour and later will assign a hydrographic vessel to the accident scene and its surrounding seafloor for scanning work to ensure there is no other large obstacle to affect navigation.
This undated handout photo provided by the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) yesterday shows the salvage team raising some of the five sunken fishing boats from the Inner Harbour.
