Tugboat Nautilus III
It's not often you get to see a salvage operation from your office window. Anthony Smith of Vero Marine Claims was able to watch a tug boat we insure being lifted from the bottom of the Waitemata Harbour. The claim he would handle was unfolding before him.
The photograph below shows the floating barge crane manoeuvring on station as the divers prepare to attach lines to the sunken hull.
The Royal & SunAlliance Centre, where Vero Marine's offices are on the 15th floor, is the second tallest building in the photograph:
As soon as Anthony was notified, he appointed Master Mariner Neil Abbott of Manu Marine (http://www.manumarine.com) to assist and advise the owners during and after the casualty. As the "Nautilus III" has sunk off Fergusson wharf, there was an immediate hazard to commercial shipping and a requirement for removal of wreck. With fuel on board, we were all concerned about pollution.
In a situation like this, an insurer's role is to assist with providing expert advice to the owners and financial security to salvors. In the event, with Manu Marine's assistance on the scene, the vessel was raised the same day and work on minimising the immersion damage to the hull and the machinery commenced immediately.
"Nautilus III", a 14 metre steel tugboat, was built in 1971 by Carrington Slipways in Brisbane. Prior to working in Auckland, the vessel was used to tow log barges in the Marlborough Sounds.
Remedial work required inside the vessel ...
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Vero Marine sells its products through independent brokers. You can find a broker near you with the help of the Insurance Brokers Association website...
