On the 19.11.1998 the jack-up platform BARBARA arrived on the spot from the Netherlands and positioned alongside the PALLAS. At the wreck there were not major discharges of oil observed.
The contaminated beaches were almost cleaned. Dead and oiled sea birds were collected every day. It was agreed, that extinguishing of the fire must be of highest priority and the ligthening operation could only start after the fire was completely under control.
The salvage team succeeded on the 24.11.1998 to extinguish the fire on board the PALLAS after very difficult and complicated operations.
Lightening or some of the fuel tanks started. PALLAS leaked only small amounts of oil and no further major beaching of oil was observed. The weather again worsened and fears came up that the wreck could break into pieces. Efforts to pump off the remaining bunkers were accelerated. Until the 27.11.1998 about 10.000 seabirds were collected. Salvage operations continue. On the 30.11.1998 BARBARA had pumped about 130 m3 of fuel from the wreck. Most of the double bottom tanks were already damaged, apparently tank tops were broken at a number of locations. Oil had already penetrated the cargo holds and thus it made the lightening operation extremely difficult.
2. Remarks to the recovery operation
The stranding location of the PALLAS with surrounding water depths of app. 2 m at low water allowed only a very limited access of recovery vessels three hours prior to and after high water. The ocean-going high performance pollution fighters could not be engaged in the region around the wreck.
A further reason for extreme difficulties to lighten the ifo in the double bottom tanks was the fact, that the cargo holds were partly filled with burned residues of the timber cargo - partly comparable with char-coal - and due to the large crack between hatch nr. 5 and 6 and some other bottom damages with their tidal influence.
It lateron became obvious that the leaking oil penetrated from double bottom tanks (stb and port) into the separating centered coffer dam from where it entered step by step into the hatches 4a, 5 and 6.
Consequently the divers had to dive through the wing tanks (ballast tanks) in order to reach the top-side or the double bottom tanks. But unfortunately even the wing tanks are heavily polluted by the very vicous ifo causing often a total blindness of divers. Thus the main part of the timber cargo had to be tansfered to a Russian Volga freighter, which was expecially chartered for this purpose.
3. Recovered quantities
On the 10th of January the executive committee has made the following calculation: 244 m3 escaped from the PALLAS partly recovered by recovery vessels, but also collected on the beaches; 444 t were recovered and a remaining rest of 4 m2 was supposed to be in corners and wings of the tank system.
