The Swedish Coast Guard announced the successful refloating of the grounded bulker Ali Aykin during the night of June 4-5. The 93-meter vessel had been stranded since May 25, posing a potential oil spill risk near the Øresund Bridge after deviating from its shipping channel while carrying scrap metal from Poland.
Authorities are investigating the incident, detaining one crew member on suspicion of gross negligence, while another is being examined for possible drunkenness. Concerns arose due to a breach in one of the ship’s ballast tanks, which contained 69,000 liters of fuel oil, complicating salvage operations. To mitigate risks, a salvage company began offloading cargo to a barge on June 3.
The Ali Aykin was successfully refloated late Wednesday, with Coast Guard vessels monitoring for any pollution. It reached Malmö under its own power early Thursday, where it will undergo further inspections as prosecutors continue their investigation into crew actions.
Additionally, another bulker, Meshka, grounded on May 30 in the Øresund fairway and still remains aground with 938,000 liters of fuel onboard. The Coast Guard is closely monitoring this situation as a salvage plan is developed and approved by Swedish authorities.
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