News - 17/03/14

After the loss earlier this week of the yacht Kahu in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight, a salvage group, lead by Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC), has started the process of recovering the vessel. 

Ensuring safety and pollution control are the primary objectives and a coordination meeting was held in Cowes yesterday (8th November) to establish clear roles and responsibility for the operation. Preparation work to lift the vessel has commenced today (9th November) and after detailed consideration a ‘slow and careful policy’ has been adopted. 

Divers will be used to attach lifting bags to the Kahu which can then be inflated to raise Kahu to the surface. It will then be lifted by crane on to a flat-topped barge, which is also designed to contain any fluids or contaminants, before being towed to the Royal Clarence Yard in Portsmouth, subject to agreement by Portsmouth Harbour Authority.

It is expected that the lift will commence at 0645 on Tuesday, 12th November.

CHC is carrying out inspections on the River Medina and around Cowes Harbour to check for instances of pollution. CHC is not aware of any significant environmental impact to date. Members of the public are invited to report any evidence of pollution to the Cowes Harbour Office by email via chc@cowes.co.uk or by phone on 01983 293952.

A further meeting of the coordination group will be held on Monday, 11th November and a more detailed brief on the recovery and clean-up operation will be issued.