Posted on October 21, 2026
In recent weeks, Boskalis subsidiary SMIT Salvage provided assistance to a 300-meter-long container vessel that experienced a fire in the Atlantic Ocean. The fire was brought under control at sea, after which the vessel was towed to the port of Salvador for emergency repairs.
These emergency repairs have successfully been completed, and the vessel is ready for departure to Morocco and Europe, where the containers will be discharged . The container vessel can sail under its own power again, however SMIT Salvage and Boskalis are accompanying her with the 302 ton bollard pull oceangoing tug BOKA Keeper as an escort tug. This allows us to keep a close eye on the situation in case the container vessel experiences any unexpected headwind during her voyage.
This escort to Europe is yet another excellent example of the collaboration between Boskalis’ business units Marine Services, SMIT Salvage and the shipowner. It is a format that has been successfully applied in the recent past, deploying Boskalis vessels in salvage operations ranging from large to small. Examples include the deployment of the Ndeavor during the prolonged salvage of the FSO Safer off the coast of Yemen, as well as the assistance provided by the BOKA Sherpa during the fire aboard the Northern Juvenile off the coast of Malaysia and the towing of a grounded pipe-laying vessel off the Mexican coast by the BOKA Alpine.
