Hurricane Michael Derelict Vessel Removal
After Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle, Moran Environmental Recovery, LLC. (MER) was asked to provide environmental support to Global Diving & Salvage during vessel support operations under the USCG - Emergency Support Function (ESF) - 10 Response. This work included defueling vessels prior to removal and to be on standby for high-pollution risk targets. MER also coordinated all disposal efforts and managed local contractors that provided additional support. As we got more involved with the operation, our MEMT trailer became the hub for all coordination for MER vessels and Global's Flexi Barges.
We began working as part of the response effort on November 1, 2018. At its peak, MEMT had twenty-two (22) people on-site with staff serving on the operations team remotely from various Resource Centers. 180 targets were removed.
Mainstream Commercial Divers, Inc. was an integral part of the repsonse team throughout the job. At one point, we had three dive teams on-site. The organization was able to cascade in experienced and knowledgeable team members from Savannah, Charleston, Jacksonville, and Pompano Beach, providing the management team and environmental team support for both the diving and salvage operations.
The 180-foot vessel called the El Dorado out of Boston, MA was one of the larger vessels we recovered as part of the mission. For this, the plan would be to insert roller bags under the port side and roll it to deeper water so it could be refloated. After the removal, damage to the seagrass bed was replanted.