New Flame Survey

ADUS recently completed a survey of the wreck of the New Flame for Titan Salvage. This 44,000 ton bulk carrier was carrying a cargo of scrap steel when it sank in the Straits of Gibraltar after a collision with the tanker Torm Gertrud in 2007.

The vessel had been partially salvaged but strong currents made it difficult to complete an accurate assessment of the site or plan the rest of the salvage operation using information from divers or ROVs. A standard hydrographic survey of the wreck failed to provide sufficient detail for an objective assessment and so ADUS was commissioned to do an ultra high-resolution multibeam survey of the wreck.

The ADUS survey took place over three days but the value of the data collected on the first day was reduced because of rough seas. The final results allowed a 3D virtual model of the wreck to be visualised in WreckSight so that the salvors can study and measure the detail of the wreck and surrounding seabed at their leisure. Two unexpected bonuses for the client was the evidence for the volume of residual cargo left in one of the holds after salvage with a clamshell grab, and the identification of the position of a mooring chain which had parted in a winter storm.