Earlier refloating attempts had been halted twice, due to bad weather and inappropriate equipment.
The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) salvage team said that due to the rough weather, contingency measures had to be put in place to mitigate pollution risks, as the local community’s water source intake was less than 200 m from the grounded tanker.
She was laden with 46,000 tonnes of vegetable oil and ran aground off Kilifi on 20th June while en route from Port Kelang in Malaysia, to Mombasa.
Booms were placed around the vessel as a precaution against pollution. KPA dispatched its five tugs to the site along with divers who reported that the damage was limited to a ballast tank with no risk of pollution.
The refloating was successfully accomplished by combined efforts of Smit International, Alpha Logistics, Cormaco and the KPA salvage teams, the port authority said.
It was also reported by broking sources that the vessel had been sold for recycling.
Elsewhere, the 2009-built Handysize ‘Argent Cosmos’, which ran aground in the Columbia River last week, has also been refloated and towed to Longview (Wash) for inspection.
The US Coast Guard reported no injuries or pollution during her grounding or refloating.