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Similar cases of oil removal by pumping

This method, which was not used to pump the oil out of the Erika given that the removal of the fuel oil from the sunken wreck required the oil to be heated, a technically complex operation, was well suited to the cargo (styrene) of the Ievoli Sun, which did not need to be heated. It is backed by solid references, of which three examples are presented below.

Removing bunker fuel from the Estonian ferry MS Estonia (1994 - Baltic Sea)

In 1994, the MS Estonia, a 21,794-GT cruise ferry, 157 m long by 24 m wide, capsized in rough weather, causing 852 lives to be lost. The wreck lies on the seabed on its side in waters 60 metres deep. The maximum quantity of oil it contained was estimated at 418 tonnes. It was decided that the fuel oil would be removed from the wreck’s bunker tanks by pumping, before burying the whole ship with a shell of concrete to protect the bodies of the 700 victims left onboard. However this operation was postponed due to the intervention of the families of those who lost their lives.
The bunker fuel removal operation on the MS Estonia:

did not involve any divers,
was conducted entirely remotely by several ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) and a ROLS (Remote Operated Off Loading System),
mobilised two dynamic positioning vessels, one of which was on standby in case of emergency,
lasted 42 days,
cost approximately €3.4 million,
resulted in the recovery of 258 tonnes of oil,
was conducted by the companies Frank Mohn AS (ROLS), Northern Engineering AS (ROV), Taifun Engineering Oy (pumps), and Alfons Hakans Oy (tugs).

Lightering of the wreck of the South Korean oil tanker Yuil-n°1 (1998 - South Korea)

The Yuil-n°1, a 1,591-GT oil tanker, 80.75 m long by 12 m wide, sank while being towed after having run aground. It sank in waters 70 m deep, 1 nautical mile from the coast where it lies on its side. The tanker was transporting 2,870 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, part of which escaped when the vessel sank. The maximum quantity of oil that remained in the wreck was estimated at 1,400 tonnes.
The bunker fuel removal operation on the Yuil-n°1:

did not involve any divers,
was conducted entirely remotely by a ROV and a ROLS,
involved 1 barge anchored with 4 mooring lines and 2 support and spill response vessels,
lasted 60 days,
cost approximately €6.2 million,
resulted in the recovery of 665 tonnes of oil,
was conducted by Smit Tak assisted by Frank Mohn AS (ROLS) and Racal Survey (ROV management).

Lightering of the wreck of the South Korean oil tanker Osung-n°3 (1998 - South Korea)

The Osung-n°3, a 1,115-GT oil tanker, 70.3 m long by 10.5 m wide, sank after having run aground. It sank in waters 80 m deep and sits on its keel. The tanker was transporting 1,614 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, part of which escaped when the vessel sank. The maximum quantity of oil that remained in the wreck was estimated at 1,400 tonnes.
The bunker fuel removal operation on the Osung-n°3:

did not involve any divers,
was conducted entirely remotely by a ROV and a ROLS,
involved 1 barge anchored with 4 mooring lines and 2 support and spill response vessels,
lasted 69 days (with breaks),
cost approximately €5.7 million,
resulted in the recovery of 27 tonnes of oil,
was conducted by Smit Tak assisted by Frank Mohn AS (ROLS) and Racal (ROV).

In the latter two cases, our source documents state that work completion reports were established, indicating that there was no more than a few cubic metres of fuel oil left in each wreck. The estimations of the quantities trapped in the wrecks were therefore vastly overestimated, which is a frequent occurrence: the quantity of oil spilt at the time of the sinking is often underestimated and if the wreck is not monitored it may have leaks that go unnoticed. The wrecks were left in place according to these reports.