A consortium of salvage companies have been appointed by the owners of the MV Priscilla, a cargo ship that ran aground off Caithness.
The consortium, Multraship/Ardent/Wagenborg, have begun deploying equipment to the site on the Pentland Skerries.
It is expected that an outline salvage plan will be prepared for discussion between key stakeholders and the Acting SOSRep, Hugh Shaw for approval. A Salvage Control Unit (SCU) will then be established near the incident.
Acting SOSRep Hugh Shaw has established a Temporary Exclusion Zone of 500m around the incident site to ensure that there is no risk to the safety of persons engaged on the salvage operations and for other shipping traffic transiting or working in the area. As there is adequate tug and salvage support on scene, the ETV ‘Ievoli Black’ has resumed its patrolling duties.
The MV Priscilla remains stable but hard aground on the Pentland Skerries with the 6-person crew on board safe and well.
No pollution has been reported.
Acting SOSRep Hugh Shaw said: ‘This incident has now become a salvage operation in order to refloat the vessel. The Pentland Firth is well known for the strength of its tides, which are among the fastest in the world, so I’m pleased that the owner’s representative and insurers have appointed experienced salvors without delay. I am in dialogue with a number of key stakeholders and once we have established and agreed the salvage plan, I will provide a further update on the way forward.’