The Romanian captain of the cargo ship Fedra refused to take a towline in the hours before his ship ran aground against Europa Point, according to a specialist Spanish maritime publication. The captain declined repeated offers of help because his employer, Piraeus-based Dilek Transport, was negotiating a commercial salvage contract with a company of its choice.
Spanish magazine Transport XXI speculated that prompt intervention could have saved the Fedra, which started dragging anchor early on October 10 but did not run aground until late afternoon that day.
But by refusing all assistance and opting to negotiate a salvage deal with Greek company Five Oceans Salvage, the operator of the Fedra inadvertently sealed the ship’s fate, the publication claimed.
All through October 10, the Fedra could be seen drifting out of control toward the coastline on the east side of the Rock.
Other ships in that area had heaved anchor and sailed into deeper waters but the Fedra was unable to sail away from land because its engine was out of action.
It later emerged that the ship’s engine had been dismantled for repairs and that the crew had not alerted local port authorities that their vessel was effectively ‘dead’.
The captain, Adrian Milhailescu, was charged with breaching port regulations and faces a small fine if convicted.
The revelations by Transporte XXI add further complexity to the events of that day, which are under investigation by the Gibraltar Maritime Adminis-tration.
At one point in the morning the Fedra had taken a towline from the tug Warrior, a small vessel operated by Crowley Maritime, but that line had broken in the heavy seas.
Throughout the day the large Spanish Government-owned salvage tug, Clara Campoamor, was also close to the ship and offering assistance.
That tug was more than capable of towing the crippled ship to safety, experts told the Spanish publication.
Initially, the crew on the Fedra took lines from the tug but these broke on four separate occasions, according to Spanish Government sources cited by Transporte XXI.
On the fifth try, the crew on the tug realised that there was no longer anyone at the bow of the Fedra to take their line.
The tug made contact with the Fedra and was told it was not needed, even though by this point the ship had drifted very close to shore, the report said.
A similar situation occurred with another Spanish tug at the scene, the VB Artico, which also offered assistance but was rejected. Late in the afternoon of October 10, the captain of the Fedra reportedly changed his mind and asked the Spanish tugs to intervene. But by that point the ship was very close to land and it was too late.