Second salvage bid is a failure

ANOTHER snapped tow line scuppered the second attempt to refloat the Vermontborg early this morning. If it can reattach the line, the salvage team might try again tonight.

Spectators were out in force, with more than 200 vehicles counted near the scene.

But they were left disappointed again, although the ship could be seen bobbing up and down.

At 5.23am people listening to VHF radio heard salvage master Captain Henk Smith, who was on board the Vermontborg, say the line had parted.

'It's gone,' the skipper of the tug, Lady Laura, confirmed.

At 5.27, he said they would stop the attempt because they did not want to continue with only one tow line to the other tug, Boxer.

'The conditions were quite good - the ship became light and started to move,' said harbour master Captain Robert Barton.

'The tugs took up their positions and started to shorten the tows so they had better control over it. As the main tow rope started to take the strain, it came up very taut because of the swell and possibly because it may have been caught on the rocks somewhere.

'There was a very loud crack and, once the main tow had gone, it was not really safe to continue the salvage operation because, if the other tow line had parted as well, the vessel would have been out of control,' he said.

An 8.4m. tide, instead of the forecast 8.2m., helped the chances of success.

'Everybody was disappointed because conditions were looking quite hopeful when they started to set the operation up this morning. I was pretty hopeful they would get her off and it's not entirely clear where the main tow parted,' said Capt. Barton.

He was assessing the situation today with local pilot Barry Paint, who was on board the Lady Laura, and its captain.

They were deciding how to get another main tow through the surf line and onto the ship which, he said, would be difficult in today's conditions.

'If they can achieve that, I think they will have another attempt on high tide tonight, but we are not 100% convinced it's going to be safe to use the workboat, Sarnia, to take another line out.

'We will get the tow rope across one way or the other but the wind is near gale force and the Sarnia is not really suitable for the job,' said Capt. Barton.

But he remains confident that the salvage team will be successful in the next couple of days.

He is also confident the vessel will be refloated soon.

'Everything is improving for them because the tides are getting better,' he said.

High tide tonight is at 6.07.

Tomorrow's high tide is scheduled to rise to 8.6m., 8.9m. on Sunday and 9.1m. on Monday.

The Vermontborg became stranded on La Capelle two weeks ago after a towline broke in bad weather as it was being taken from a Romanian shipyard for fitting-out in the Holland.

Salvors made their first refloat attempt last Thursday which also failed when one of the tow lines snapped.

(Picture - The second bid to tow the Vermontborg off La Capelle reef failed when the tow line to the Lady Laura snapped. The other tug, Boxer, is in the picture.)