An agent for the owner of the Guyanese cargo ship Hein, which was run aground on June 10 to prevent it from capsizing, said the vessel had been repacked, was afloat, and was waiting on the bad weather to end before anchoring in Port of Spain.
He spoke to Newsday on June 12 via telephone and said works were ongoing.
“The cargo was repacked yesterday, so we should be moving the vessel, maybe tomorrow. Because of the rainy weather today, we decided not to move, we decided not to move until tomorrow.”
The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service has extended the Orange Level Riverine Flood Alert until 6 p.m. today, warning of several more hours of heavy rain, strong winds, and increased flooding risks.
According to the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, river levels are already high and soil saturation across the country is severe, raising the risk of damage to homes, collapsed roadways, agricultural loss, and threats to public safety.
There have been reports of 18 fallen trees in Diego Martin and Sangre Grande, three major landslides on the North Coast Road, and collapsed roadways in Poole Village, Rio Claro, and the Heights of Aripo in Arima. Additionally, eight roofs were damaged in Port of Spain, Princes Town, Siparia, and Rio Claro.
Advised that the weather alert had recently been updated, he said,
“Because of the low visibility at sea and the rainy conditions, maybe after the weather system passes, we will move to Port of Spain anchorage. We just don’t want to take any risks.”
The agent said there was no major fuel spill from the vessel. He noted that even small seagoing vessels, such as fishing boats, leaked minor amounts of fuel.
“You will see a little bit of an oil slick from them. There was absolutely no leak from the Hein at all. For an oil leak to have taken place, it would have meant the engine room would have been compromised and that wasn’t the case. The engine room was never flooded or under water. The bilge of the vessel, where the oil settles, which is like the sump engine of a car, that was never compromised.”
President of the TT Marine Services Association (MSATT), Jesse James, said as of June 12, everything was fine with the vessel.
The vessel Hein ran aground on Monos Island on June 10 after cargo shifted, causing the boat to tilt to one side and threaten to capsize. It was en route to St Vincent carrying construction materials. The captain of the boat engaged the company Capital Signal, which dispatched the tugboat C Prowler along with a barge equipped with a crane to aid in righting the boat.
The online site VesselFinder, which tracks vessels around the world, said the HEIN is a general cargo ship built in 1966 (making it 59 years old) and is currently sailing under the flag of Guyana. It has an overall length of 61.75 metres and a tonnage of 861. (Trinidad and Tobago Newsday)
