Fires aboard the oil tanker Nassia, which collided with a freighter in Turkey's Bosporus Strait Mar. 13, have been doused.
Salvage has begun after six tugs killed the blaze at 11:00 p.m. Mar. 18 in an operation organized by salvor Smit International, Rotterdam (OGJ, Mar. 21, p. 39).
The Nassia is now moored 4 miles off the coast at the mouth of the Bosporus. The strait was reopened to traffic Mar. 18.
A Smit spokesman said the vessel was completely inspected during the weekend of Mar. 19 20. The cargo holds were then filled with inert gas to prevent explosions prior to pumping of remaining oil into another tanker.
Smit estimated that 65,000 metric tons of oil remained on board the Nassia out of an original cargo of 98,500 metric tons.
The spokesman said the volume of oil spilled into the waterway had not been assessed, but much burned off the sea and in the tanker fire.
Plans to scrap the Nassia have not yet been derided by owner Euro-tankers Inc. of Greece.
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