The ship “Modern Express” regains its stability

Almost two months after its arrival at the port of Bilbao, where it arrived with a dangerous list to starboard, the Panamanian car carrier “Modern Express” is practically upright, while work continues on board. It has decks 5 and 7 loaded with heavy machinery and about four thousand tons of wood. The most significant damage is on deck 7, which was flooded. During this time, a group of professionals has worked diligently to restore stability to the ship.

On January 26, Maritime Rescue rescued the 22 crew members of this ship after it had issued a distress signal when it was about 148 miles north of Cape Ortegal. A helicopter was dispatched to its aid at the request of the British SAR, as the area where the ship was located fell under the jurisdiction of MRCC Falmouth, which coordinated the emergency.

The operation coordinated from Falmouth involved the National Coordination Center (Madrid), Cross ETEL (France), and the Rescue Coordination Center in Finisterre, which initially mobilized the rescue helicopter Helimer 401, the plane Sasemar 102, and the Xunta Pesca II helicopter. The first aerial asset to arrive was the Helimer 401 helicopter, which managed to hoist 16 crew members, all in good condition, and transported them to A Coruña airport. The Pesca II helicopter from the Xunta of Galicia managed to rescue the remaining six sailors and transported them to Celeiro.

The ship "Modern Express", seen from the stern, at the dock where it has been righted

Six ships navigating in the area proceeded to the position where the “Modern Express” was located, which had a 40-degree list, with winds of force 8 from the SW and very rough seas, which added to the difficulty of the rescue. The ship was coming from Gabon and heading to Le Havre.

A few days later, when the storm had dangerously brought it closer to the French coast, a group of specialists lowered from a helicopter managed to give a cable to the tug “Centaurus,” thus clearing the uncertainty, and on February 3 it triumphantly entered the port of Bilbao, taking shelter in the outer dock, and in a subsequent change of berthing, efforts have been made since then to restore order until the necessary stability is regained.

The General Directorate of Merchant Marine authorized the ship's entry into the port of Bilbao after the weather conditions improved, with winds ranging from 20 to 30 km/h and waves of 3.5 to 4 meters. Although the towing proceeded without incident, there was concern that it could break at any moment. The tug “Centaurus” does not have a Spanish flag, nor did the “Modern Express” run aground, as was reported by several national media at the time.

Photos: via Víctor Morín