As far as the clean-up is concerned, compared with “Amoco Cadiz” and the Exxon Valdez”, the locals are lucky. I know it’s an odd thing to say, but it’s true. You have a cargo of phosphate, which is relatively benign, only about 600 tons of bunker C, which is a very small amount by modern standards. The diesel oil will evaporate , and the lube oil is only a small quantity. I think the ship will not be salved, although the cargo in the forward holds is probably uncontaminated.
The stern is completely flooded and sitting on a reef. Re-floating that would be very difficult. Commercially, the ship and cargo have been written off. The ship and cargo owners will get paid for their loss and move on. P&I and other funds will help pay for the clean up. The shipowner is releasing all sorts of reports telling us what a wonderful job they are doing and how minimal the damage is. Of course nobody believes them. They are also speculating that the ship may have hit an “underwater obstruction” which disabled the main engine” before she went aground. No doubt the log book will be “flogged” to support this.

The coast state, Madagascar, seems to be supervising the clean up paid for by the owners pollution fund. When that is completed they must decide what to do with the ship. The forward half can be re-floated and towed away. It is a matter of sealing bulkheads and tank ceilings and then pumping out to give it buoyancy. Some or all the cargo may have to be unloaded to lighten the ship. I don’t know the tides in that area, although I’ve been into Madagascar. The after end of the ship is a different challenge. Sealing up the engine room and then pumping it out would be long and difficult job. As I say, it makes no commercial sense to remove the wreck, but the govt of Madagascar may order it removed anyway. The question as always is ‘who is going to pay?’. My guess is it will be left there and will eventually be destroyed by the swell and seas and sink below the surface.

Alex