Boka-Glacier

The barge 'AMT Challenger', which had been lost by the 'Boka Glacier' and ran aground on the beach of Sotteville on Dec 8, 2024, and was refloated on Dec 28 by the salvage ship ' Multrasalvor 5' (IMO: 8871625), which had been deployed from Dieppe, withing four hours, and towed to Le Havre, escorted by the tug 'Abeille Horizon'. has left port again on Jan 10 under tow of the tug 'En Avant 26' (IMO: 9985277). The convoy was headed for Gdansk with an ETA as of Jan 18, where the barge of the Maltese company Augustea Maritime Transportatio will undergo repairs. Report with photos: https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/marine-marchande/la-barge-amt-challenger-est-partie-du-havre-pour-etre-reparee

On Dec 28 at around 8:30 a.m. the 'Abeille Horizon' refloated the barge 'AMT Challenger', which had been stuck on the Normandy coast, between Valéry en Caux and Dieppe since Dec 8 after breaking lose from the 'Boka Glacier' off the Isle of Wight during Storm Darragh, despite several attempts by the 'Abeille Horizon' to try to pass a tow to it during the storm. The tug was accompanied by the 'Multrasalvor 5'. The two ships arrived on site before 5 a.m., and the 'Multrasavor 5' managed to set sail with the 'AMT Challenger' in tow 2,5 hours later.

The salvage operations of the 'AMT Challenger', stranded on the beach of Sotteville-sur-Mer since Dec 8 after breaking lose from the 'Boka Glacier', have been suspended. They were to be resumed after Christmas. The weather forecasts announced between Dec 19 and 22, marked by the presence of northerly winds and a strong swell, lead to a delay in the final preparatory work for towing the barge off the beach. After an initial inspection, the salvage plan was submitted to the maritime prefecture of the Channel-North Sea and the prefecture of Seine-Maritime. The inspection of the 24 ballast tanks and their sealings were still in progress and have therefore had to be suspended until the weather conditions are more favourable. Beach ban orders have been issued by the mayors of Veules-les-Roses, Sotteville-sur-Mer and Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. It is therefore still prohibited to approach the barge. Report with photo: https://actu.fr/normandie/sotteville-sur-mer_76683/la-barge-amt-challenger-va-passer-noel-sur-la-plage-de-sotteville-sur-mer_62023122.html