Africa-Press – Cape verde. The ship Deimos, stranded for almost five years near the port of Vale dos Cavaleiros, was dismantled and completely removed by the company Koole Contractors, from the Netherlands, after about a year of work.
Visiting the site where the ship was stranded today, to mark the completion of the dismantling and removal of the wreckage, the Minister of the Sea, Jorge Santos, said that the process represents a “significant milestone” for the safety of national and international navigation and for the environmental protection of the Cape Verdean coast.
The Minister of the Sea, who witnessed the end of the work by signing a certificate of completion, stated that it is a “great satisfaction” for the Government and an important moment for Cape Verde, for the island of Fogo and for national and international navigation.
According to the governor, with the removal of the ship, a threat to navigation was eliminated and a firm step was taken in protecting the sea.
Since the sinking of the Deimos in 2020, responsibility for the Panamanian-flagged vessel has been assumed by the insurer PNI, which hired a specialized company from the Netherlands to carry out the complex process of dismantling and removing the wreckage.
The work, which lasted approximately one year, according to Jorge Santos, involved the removal of 1,600 tons of scrap metal, which will now be recycled and reused.
He highlighted that the operation is budgeted at around 1.2 million euros (approximately 120 thousand Cape Verdean contos) and was carried out in two phases due to the adverse maritime conditions.
The equipment, he recalled, was temporarily transferred to São Vicente until the sea allowed the work to continue safely.
According to Minister Jorge Santos, the operation was conducted with extreme environmental care and all conditions of environmental impact were studied, and there was no leakage of polluting liquids or use of materials that could contaminate the sea.
The chairman of the board of directors of the Maritime and Port Institute (IMP), Seidi Santos, also celebrated the end of the process which, according to him, symbolizes the achievement of a major objective which was the complete dismantling of the ship, which had been stranded for almost five years.
“It’s a huge benefit for shipping, as the ship posed a safety risk and some cruise ships arriving in the bay anchored further away when they came across the stranded ship,” he said.
According to Seidi Santos, an underwater inspection was carried out using advanced technology, which confirmed that the area is “completely clean and free of debris”.
“We have a clear conscience that there is no environmental risk or trace of Deimos,” assured the IMP CEO, who noted that the process was closely monitored by several entities, including the IMP, Enapor, and the National Directorate of the Environment, ensuring technical and environmental rigor at all stages.
The success of this operation paves the way for further action and the Government, according to the Minister of the Sea, Jorge Santos, is already planning to dismantle two more ships in Mindelo Bay, as part of the ongoing effort to ensure navigational safety and the preservation of Cape Verdean waters.
The formal closure of the project was marked by the signing of a completion agreement between IMP and the insurance company PNI, consolidating another stage in Cape Verde’s commitment to sustainability and maritime safety.
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