Barge AWB 240 mooring in position to pull the Casitas off the reef

Project Summary

On July 2, 2005, the  140-foot survey vessel Casitas ran aground on a reef at the Pearl and Hermes Atoll, a refuge area approximately 86 miles east southeast of Midway Island. While hard aground, the vessel's fuel, oil, and other pollutants were removed and a wreck removal plan was devised. Argonautics Marine Engineering was hired to remotely assist the salvage master and run computer analyses to confirm the extraction feasibility. The required tugs and barges, including the pulling barge AWB 240 were mobilized to the casualty site from Honolulu, HI. Meanwhile, the vessel hull damage was assessed and some of the damage patched to control the flooding.         

Early August, after some delay due to severe wave and wind conditions on site, all marine equipment was in place for the removal operation. At low tide the Casitas was deballasted and at high tide successfully pulled free of the reef, after which it was towed to the predetermined disposal location and scuttled.

Scope of Work

The project scope included:

• Model the vessel hull with all its tanks, compartments, and void spaces;

• Estimate the ground reaction based on a number of damage scenarios and the effect of tide;

• Calculate the equilibrium condition and free floating stability of the vessel after pulling free.