On 22/11/2021 a fire broke out in way of the accommodation house of an Oil / Chemical Tanker engaged in West African ports trading (under TC), during sea passage from Cabinda to Luanda Port in Angola.
Extensive fire damage was sustained in way of the upper deck accommodation, gutting the cabins/public spaces, including outfitting and entire electrical installation /cabling, which were severely fire / heat affected.
Our Ghana Office Surveyor, Julius M. Wilson promptly carried out the Initial attendance at Luanda Anchorage, Angola in order to ascertain the extent of damage and nature of repairs required thereof.
A detailed Damage Repair Specification was prepared by our local Office, which Owners submitted to suitable repair facilities in the vicinty such as Tema Shipyard (Tema/Ghana), Dakarnave (Dakar/Senegal) and Astican Shipyard (Las Palmas / Gran Canaria) inviting tenders.
Owners explored the possibility of carrying out permanent repairs at Angola, however Agents reported that there were no available lay-by berths to accommodate the vessel at Luanda port for such prolonged period. Thus, vessel had to remain at anchorage, where she would be exposed to weather conditions / high swell, jeopardizing the progress of repairs.
Moreover, the logistics of sending materials and technicians to repair the damages at Angola anchorage would significantly delay the repairs and would entail excessive costs.
By proactively assisting in the acquisition of competitive quotations, and upon scrutiny of available tenders, it was decided that the most convenient, safe as well as cost/time effective solution would be to effect permanent repairs at Tema shipyard in Ghana, where easier access of shore contractors and materials was possible.
Our Ghana office attended on site, monitoring repairs progress and costs involved thereof, whilst providing continuous advice to H&M Underwriters concerned. Some two months were required for repairs to complete, whilst the potential excessive costs that would arise under a lengthy removal voyage to other regions/facilities were avoided, to the benefit of all parties in the process.
As Ghana is part of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), our local Office Surveyor is able to travel visa-free and via direct flights to at least 10 major West African ports, and provide a cost/time effective solution for marine survey requirements in the region.
