Belgium: Steamship Henri Durre Removed from Antwerp Harbour

In the first half of January 2013, a joint venture between Koole and Roegiers, removed the 82 metre long steamship Henri Durré from the river Scheldt in the harbour of Antwerp.

Having both, the necessary equipment and experience in wreck-removal the companies Koole and Roegiers combined forces to carry out the job.

With several heavy excavators (ranging from 300 ton to 80 ton) Koole executed the wreck-removal and Roegiers provided three barges and nautical expertise.

With a tide of 6 metres, the Scheldt offered quite a challenge in reaching the wreck at the varying conditions. However, thorough planning and calculations provided for an efficient workflow, which concluded in a successful removal of the wreck in just 2 weeks. Around 1,000 ton of scrap and waste were removed from the 20 metre depth.

History

On February 13th, 1926, the French collier SS DEPUTE HENRI DURRE, on voyage from the Tyne to Antwerp with a cargo of 2,900 tons of coal, sank after a collision with SS POSEIDON, off the river Scheldt, Belgium.

The steamship was built just 5 years before and after the collision it laid on the bottom of the Scheldt for 87 years.

[mappress]

Press Release, January 29, 2013