36°01′03″N14°17′19″E / 36.017459°N 14.288641°E /36.017459; 14.288641
.jpg) Hephaestus laid up atMarsa in 2020 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Togo | |
| Name | Hephaestus |
| Namesake | Hephaestus |
| Owner | Orbiter Navigation Corp. |
| Operator | Volont Maritime S.A. |
| Port of registry | Lomé,Togo |
| Builder | Bröderna Jonssons Torrdocka (Kållansdsö Varv AB),Lidköping |
| Completed | 1965 |
| Out of service | 10 February 2018 |
| Identification | |
| Fate | Scuttled, 29 August 2022 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Oil tanker |
| Tonnage | 595GRT |
| Length | 61.33 m (201.2 ft) |
| Beam | 7.93 m (26.0 ft) |
| Depth | 4.02 m (13.2 ft) |
| Installed power | 410 kW (550 hp) |
| Propulsion | 1 x 6 cyl. diesel engine |
| Speed | 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
| Crew | 7 |
MT orMV[a]Hephaestus was abunkeringoil tanker that ran aground offQawra,Malta on 10 February 2018 and was subsequentlyscuttled as a dive site offXatt l-Aħmar,Gozo on 29 August 2022.
MVHephaestus was asteel-builttanker with a tonnage of 595GRT. It was 61.33 m (201.2 ft) long, with abeam of 7.93 m (26.0 ft). It had one 6 cylinder Ruston Stafford 6 CSRKM 4 Strokediesel engine with a single shaft and one screw. The vessel's power was 410 kW (550 hp) and it had a speed of 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph).[3]
The vessel was built in 1965 by Bröderna Jonssons Torrdocka (Kållansdsö Varv AB) inLidköping,Sweden. By 2018, it was owned by the Orbiter Navigation Corp. and managed by Volont Maritime S.A.[1] It was registered inLomé,Togo.[3]
At the time of the 2018 grounding, theHephaestus was commanded byBangladeshi captain Joynal Abedin.[4] The other crew members were from Bangladesh,Russia andEgypt.[1] The vessel had been at sea for about four months, and from January 2018 it had been anchored atIs-Sikka l-Bajda offQawra,Malta while there was a dispute relating to payment of crew's wages.[4][5]
On the morning of 10 February 2018, the vessel was caught in a severe storm with rough seas.[6] At about 05.30, Abedin attempted to sail the vessel into a sheltered area, but the crew lost control within minutes and the vessel was beached on a rocky coastline in an area known as Fra Ben, close to theQawra Tower. After informing authorities of the accident, all seven crew members disembarked the vessel using a rope ladder, and Abedin was treated for a minor[1] shoulder injury atMater Dei Hospital.[4]
The vessel was not carrying any cargo at the time of its grounding.[5] A minor diesel leak was reported on 17 February, but authorities reported that the wreck's risk of pollution was low.[7] The Marine Safety Investigation Unit ofTransport Malta launched an investigation into the accident and published its findings in a report.[1] The ship's crew were accommodated at the Seafarers' Centre inFloriana before leaving Malta on 27 February.[8]
In the months after the grounding, theHephaestus shipwreck became a popular photo backdrop for Maltese and foreignsocial media users.[9] Recovery operations were carried out by Cassar Ship Repair Ltd., which plugged in holes within the ship's hull before pulling it out to sea using tugboats and hydraulic jacks on 15 August 2018. It was successfully towed to Cassar's facility inMarsa,[10] but the vessel's owners deemed that repairing the damage would be too costly.[9]
By 2019, the Professional Diving Schools Association of Malta, Gozo and Comino (PDSA) made plans toscuttle theHephaestus offQala,Gozo as adiving attraction.[9] Prior to scuttling, some of the vessel's equipment was removed and efforts were made to clean it of pollutants.[11]
The vessel was scuttled offXatt l-Aħmar in Gozo on 29 August 2022,[12] with the operation being carried out by theMalta Tourism Authority, the PDSA and theMinistry for Gozo.[11]
The wreck is located approximately 30 m (98 ft) off the Xatt l-Aħmar coast,[11] resting upright[13] on a sandy seabed at a depth of about 46 m (151 ft).[3] It is close to wrecks of theMV Karwela,MV Xlendi andMV Cominoland, which were previously also deliberately scuttled as diving attractions.[11]
Media related toIMO 6519326 at Wikimedia Commons
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 2018 | |
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| Other incidents |
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