M/V Hual Europe (Izu Oshima island)

 shipwreck, cargo

In late September 2002 the ro-ro car carrier M/V Hual Europe was caught in a late season Typhoon while underway from Yokohama to Jamaica. Her Captain elected to ride out the storm at anchor off the coast of Oshima Island, however the heavy winds and seas pushed the ship closer and closer to the shores, and by early morning on October 1st, the Hual Europe had dragged her anchors so far that the ship grounded on a shallow reef just off the coast of Oshima.

The sharp volcanic rocks and heavy weather caused massive damage to the vessel's hull and fuel tanks, flooding the ship to it's level cargo deck with oily seawater and knocking out it's engines. As the waves pushed the ship broadside-to the swell, the ship ran hard aground and her crew were airlifted off by helicopter. The next day salvage crews arrived to assess the situation, and preliminary inspections confirmed massive damage to the ship and it's cargo of 4000 vehicles still onboard.

While salvage plans were still being drawn up on how to remove the damaged ship without releasing a catastrophic oil spill or sinking the vessel, the Hual Europe's keel broke, splitting the ship in half and starting a massive fire. Fueled by the ship's heavy fuel oil and its flammable cargo, the fires on the Hual Europe burned uncontrolled for several days prompting the evacuation of nearby villages as fire crews watched helplessly.

The fires eventually burned themselves out, leaving the Hual Europe a gutted and collapsed wreck. The $60 million dollar two year old ship and its multi-million dollar cargo were declared total losses, and Hual lines began negotiations with Kasel Salvage to remove the wreck. The salvage and environmental clean concluded in 2006

www.cargolaw.com/2003nightmare_hual.html
www.kaselsalvage.com/gallery1.html