The Helge, sailing under the Dutch flag, which took on water off the coast of the Danish island of Jutland last week, has been salvaged. This weekend, the heavily damaged ship was towed to Esbjerg.

The Helge collided with another vessel, the Wild Cosmos, on the afternoon of Friday, September 9th. At the time of the collision, the weather was bad and there were high waves. The starboard stern was severely damaged. Water leaked into the engine room, rendering the ship rudderless, but it did not sink. The crew was evacuated by helicopter and taken to Esbjerg with only minor injuries.

Around noon, after a few hours of the ship being adrift and unmanned, the Danish Navy’s MHV 806 Dubhe departed for the Helge from Ringkøbing. It reached the Helge around 5 o’clock in the afternoon. The wind had died down and so the salvage operation could begin. The tug Sigyn arrived at the cargo ship around the same time.

Last weekend a number of salvage specialists were put on board the Helge by helicopter. A towing connection was established with the Sigyn and with the necessary caution the Helge could be brought in. In the hull, just above the water line, there are a number of large holes. The ship is now in the port of Esbjerg.

Source: Schuttevaer (Translated to English from Dutch)