TORM ALEXANDRA (Malta)

General cargo ship Torm Alexandra was again afloat in Monrovia Freeport after a lengthy and complicated salvage operation in the Liberian capital.
The vessel capsized and sunk in 2001, after local stevedores, inexperienced with large cargoes, mishandled the vessel’s two cranes that were being used to offload containers.
The containers slid towards the port side of the vessel, causing her to heel. The vessel then sank with all her cargo in the next half an hour, according to an account from the owner, the Danish company Fabricius Marine.
Removal of the wreckage, which has been blocking one of four berths in the main wharf since, will add significantly to Freeport’s capacity.
The salvage operation was carried out by Buchanan Renewables, a Geneva-based company that is building a US$112m power plant to provide electricity to the capital and surrounding area. The plant will be fueled with wood chips from Liberian rubber trees that are beyond their productive life. The sunken cargo disappeared a long time ago.
The vessel will be demolished and sold for scrap.