Sailing Yacht Eleonora E Successfully Refloated In Port Tarragona After A Collision

The salvage operation was designed to recover the 49-meter sailing yacht Eleonora E, which was left half-submerged after being hit by a 60-meter offshore supply vessel based in Port Tárraco this summer (10 June), which has been completed.

The ultimate phase of the operation concluded on Monday (26 September) after the vessel was successfully refloated and hauled at the PTW Tarragona facility.

The operation of the stricken vessel spanned three weeks and involved over 30 personnel.

The incident occurred when the offshore supply vessel’s engines attempting a manoeuvre at the port got stuck in reverse. The ship reportedly hit Eleonora E on the starboard side and punctured the hull as it was berthed in an area of water between four to five meters deep. She started listing heavily before finally coming to rest on her side.

Once the initial repairs had been executed underwater, Eleanora E was successfully lifted from the land by two 250-tonne cranes with refloating balloons.

Once it was upright, additional repairs were executed, and the process of pumping water from the flooded compartments started before she was towed approximately 800 meters across the port so it could successfully be lifted out.

Eleanora E was successfully delivered by Van der Graaf — Dutch yard — in 2000 as a replica of the classic 1910 schooner westward.

She boasts a steel hull with a teak superstructure and two masts. Her nine-member crews, including the ship’s captain, were on the vessel when the accident occurred, but no serious injuries were reported.

References: Boat International, World Ports