Decision made: ASRY, Bahrain, to scrap 'Stolt Valor, seriously damaged by explosion & fire in the Arabian Gulf in mid-March 2012.
The 2004-built 25,268dwt chemical tanker arrived at the yard under tow at the end of June, following a major salvage operation carried out by Holland’s Smit. Initially, she was to be inspected and assessed for damage with a view to returning the vessel to a seaworthy state for towing to a ship-breaking yard.
However, after many weeks of discussion the vessel’s owner has decided to break up the tanker at ASRY, using a team of specialists brought in from Belgium. Stolt Valor entered ASRY’s No.1 drydock in mid-October and will be cut into three sections.
Following the scrapping of the badly damaged mid-body section, the remaining stainless steel has been bought by a Belgian/Dutch company, while a local Bahraini company has bought the mild steel.