Cargo Ship Stranded in UK’s Humber Estuary Refloated Sooner Than Expected

After two weeks and a lightering effort salvage crews were finally able to free a stranded Dutch short-sea cargo ship that was aground in the UK’s Humber Estuary. Officials had feared the vessel might be stuck till an April high tide.

H&S Wisdom (1,850 dwt) was inbound from Rotterdam with a load of steel when it became stranded on March 2 and as the tide went out she was sitting firmly in the mud. Shortly after the vessel grounded, three efforts were tried to free it but were abandoned when it was clear it was too firmly wedged in the estuary. Reports called it a “navigational effort.”

The crew remained aboard the vessel for two weeks while supplies were ferried to them from shore. At the same time, two barges were positioned alongside with a crane parked on one and the efforts began at offloading some of the cargo to prepare the ship for a new effort to free it.

H&S Wisdom's cargo was removed to permit the refloating sooner than expected (Hebo Maritiemservice)

Humber Rescue’s volunteer crew reports it stood by last week and aided in ferrying surveyors to the vessel.

Finally on Saturday, March 15, as the tide came in and with the aid of a tug, they got the vessel free and back into the channel. The 82-meter (269-foot) vessel built in 2002 and registered in the Netherlands was escorted by the tugs to a nearby pier for further surveys.

Residents who turned out to see the vessel told the BBC they would long remember when the cargo ship got stuck in the river.