HGP NIGHTLY NEWS – Salvage operations to retrieve the sunken MV Barima could begin before the end of October, with BK International identified as the preferred team preparing to undertake the long-awaited recovery of the vessel.
Polish Naval Architect and Marine Engineer Dr Andrzej Jasionowski, one of five Commissioners investigating the July 18 tragedy, said he met with the proposed salvage team on Tuesday to discuss both the recovery operation and preservation of evidence.
“I have met with a potential or I understand preferred salvage team to discuss the process of salvaging and the process of evidence preservation,” Jasionowski said.
He explained that negotiations are still being finalised but indicated that the process could be concluded within days. “I was made to understand that it is a matter of days that this will be concluded, and that the salvage operations will commence this month,” he added.
Jasionowski later identified BK International as the company preparing to salvage the vessel.BK International, Industrial Fabrication Inc. and Netherlands-based KMS B.V. had submitted bids for the operation.
The Commissioner said the COI will be kept informed about the salvage process and could potentially be present when the vessel is raised.Importantly, Jasionowski said the nearly three months the MV Barima has spent on the seabed should not significantly diminish its forensic value.
He estimated that the vessel could retain “near 100%” of the forensic clues investigators are seeking, noting that it is constructed of steel and much of its cargo remains contained.
“The forensic value will be there almost in its entirety. The time has very little effect,” he said.Meanwhile, fellow Commissioner Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Hayden Pritchard stressed that the COI’s investigation does not depend entirely on recovering the vessel.
He said significant evidence can still be examined and conclusions reached regardless of whether the salvage operation is successful. The Commission is continuing to gather documentary evidence as it prepares for public hearings next Wednesday.
