Vogetrader free

A panamax bulk carrier that ran aground off Hawaii has been re-floated but suffered a crack in its hull, the US Coast Guard says.

Four tugs pulled the 72,200-dwt Vogetrader (built 1996) free from the entrance channel of Kalaeloa Barbers Point Harbour.

There were no reported discharges of oil or fuel, despite the crack at the bottom of the hull. Sea water intrusion prevented oil from leaving a cracked double-bottom fuel tank.

The Hawaii Department of Land Resources will investigate whether there was any reef damage as a result of the grounding.

As TradeWinds reported Friday, the Vogetrader grounding had blocked traffic to and from the Oahu Island harbour. The vessel is controlled by H Vogemann, a Hamburg-based company with a fleet of 20 bulkers, two products tankers and 14 newbuildings.

The Coast Guard says the company hired tugs to carry out the salvage operation, which involved lightering and loading ballast on the ship's port side in order to raise the starboard side.

The vessel then was towed to an anchorage where a temporary patch will be placed on the crack.

A harbour pilot who was on board the Liberian-flagged ship at the time of the grounding was taken to a hospital for drug and alcohol testing, the Coast Guard says.

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