Flinterstar III BV, the owner of the Dutch freighter MV Flinterstar, has entered into a contract with a consortium of Belgian marine contractors to remove the wreck of the vessel which sank in the North Sea off the coast of Zeebrugge following a collision last October.

The consortium will be headed by Scaldis, a joint company of DEME, Jan De Nul and Herbosch-Kiere.

Bart Otto, Director of Flinterstar lll BV, said: “Our primary concern has been that the wreck removal operation should be undertaken in the safest and most environmentally sensitive manner possible. With that in mind, we have been impressed throughout the tender process with the professional approach adopted by Scaldis and their joint venture partners. We are confident that now the operation has been placed in their capable hands, it will go forward smoothly and be completed on schedule this summer.”

Martin Ockier, Board Member of Scaldis: “We are very pleased to be awarded this contract. As Scaldis was involved in the successful wreck removal of the Tricolor, we will apply the valuable experience gained to execute the optimum, bespoke method to the retrieval of MV Flinterstar. Our approach will be the most effective, safest and environmentally sensitive. The methodology will ensure that the duration of the offshore operation is kept as short as possible and causes the minimum possible interference to the shipping traffic. Environmental concerns were also fully evaluated in organizing the appropriate disposal method of the wreck sections and cargo ashore.”

Scaldis will now start the detailed preparation and mobilisation phases in order to begin on-site operations as quickly as possible in the coming weeks, the company said.

The wreck, standing upright on the seabed, is separated into two sections. Each wreck section will be lifted by Scaldis’ 3300 tonne capacity Rambiz heavy lift vessel and positioned onto a transport barge then transported for appropriate disposal. It is anticipated the wreck removal operation will be completed this summer - weather permitting.

Flinterstar is a Dutch flagged cargo/container ship, which sank following a collision with LNG tanker Al Oraiq on October 6, 2015.