The purpose of the market consultation is to determine the technical and economic conditions for carrying out an oil removal operation from three wrecks sunk in Finnish territorial waters or EEZ: (1) tugboat Simson, (2) German destroyer Z 36 and (3) monitor Ilmarinen. The objective of the market consultation is to find out inter alia operators' views on the wrecks selected as the objects of the possible procurement, the planned timetable, possible contract terms and information on the operators' proposed solutions and their pricing. With the information obtained in this market consultation, we intend to plan a possible competitive tendering of the procurement object selected among the target wrecks or other high-priority wrecks, to allocate funds for the procurements, and to initiate discussions between the various parties to enable the implementation of the procurements.
This notice is not a procurement notice initiating a tender, but a request to participate in a market consultation, which will be carried out by the Finnish Environment Institute SYKE on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment of Finland. Participation in the market consultation does not oblige the company to participate in a possible future tender procedure, and the answers provided during the market consultation are not binding in the possible tender stage. No compensation will be paid to the participants for the participation in the market consultation.
To participate in the market consultation, send your registration to the e-mail address below. The registration message must include information about the company participating in the market consultation (at least the company's name, business ID and industry) and contact details of the company's contact person. In case there are more than five (5) registered companies, SYKE reserves the right to select a maximum of five (5) of the companies registered to proceed with the market consultation. In addition, SYKE will also request other known companies operating in the field, especially from abroad, to participate in the market consultation.
Registrations for the market consultation must be sent by e-mail to:
kirjaamo@syke.fi by 10:00 on 15.11.2021. The subject of the message should be: "Market consultation/Wrecks"
The market consultation will be carried out in two stages, so that in the first phase a written request for information will be sent to the companies. Answers to the request must be returned to SYKE within approximately two weeks. After this, SYKE organizes meetings with companies, where parties e.g. specify the answers to the written request for information and get acquainted with the company's possible oil removal technology.
The oil removal operation – targets
The following list of wrecks consists of three items, all belonging to the high-risk wrecks category defined by the Finnish Environment Institute SYKE. There are altogether two dozen wrecks in this list having a great amount of oil onboard or having another reason to cause increased risk of an oil spill deleterious to the environment. A wreck’s location close to an environmentally sensitive area, bird nesting sites or important fish farming sites are typical features to pose this kind of a risk.
The selected three wrecks listed below also pose many technical challenges for the salvage companies. It is not only the greater water depth but also the amount of oil, position of the wreck on the bottom, and existing armaments and ammunition in warships that need special tasks to be carried out when planning the oil removal activities and proper logistics to successfully conduct the work.
Since there are numerous sunken warships in Finnish territorial waters it is important for the national authorities to obtain a realistic overview of the possibilities of the salvage companies to conduct oil removal operations in the selected targets representing adequately the whole spectrum of the listed high-priority wrecks in this area. Already now some of the WW2 wrecks are gradually leaking into the environment and causing increased loading.
1. Tugboat Simson
The tugboat Simson originally built already in 1915 as a steam tugboat (original name Terma) was converted to the diesel-electric propulsion system in 1971 in the Turku Repair Yard. She sunk after grounding on the 20th of September 1978 when towing a fully loaded limestone barge in rough seas. The ship owner in 1978 was Alfons Håkans Oy, Finland.
It is expected that there are roughly 24 tons of diesel oil remaining in the fuel tanks of the vessel, which sits on her keel at the water depth of 65 m, close to steep rocks beside. It is expected that access into the fuel tank(s) is possible through the hull. At the time of this market inquiry no detailed drawings on her fuel tank conversion are available.
Wreck site:
East-Western side of Utö, Grimsörarna;
Coordinates (roughly) 59o 40.450’ N & 21o 29.550’ E. Exact coordinates need to be confirmed! Should need a side scan sonar/ROV operation in the area!
Water depth: 65 m, outer sea area, certain wind directions cause problems due to wind and waves. Utö Island may be used as a shelter for rough sea.
Main particulars: 31.6 (length) x 8.62 (breadth) x 4.48 (draught); 201 brt
Note:
www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?93752www.hylyt.net/item/simson-2620#content2. German destroyer Z 36
German destroyer Z 36, built in 1944 in Germany, sunk on the 12thof December 1944 after hitting a mine. The wreck lies on her keel at the water depth of 56-70 m. The hull is broken in the stern (mine explosion) and close to the midship. However, it looks relatively intact. The wreck is partly covered by a trawl net, which needs to be removed to get access to the portside fuel tanks. Pre-surveying missions have been carried out by the Finnish Environment Institute, Badewanne dive team, the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Border Guard. During sinking roughly 800 tons of fuel oil remained before the vessel hit the mine(s). During a mission in 2016 it was expected that approximately 500 tons of fuel oils remain onboard. There is plenty of very good MBES imagery, video and still photography available of Z 36, as well as complete original drawings.
All the armament is still onboard, consisting of torpedoes in their launching tubes, mines widely spread on the decks and on the bottom next to the ship (it was mine lying mission). Other unexploded ordnance (UXO) such as depth charges, artillery shells, AA ammunition and spare torpedoes remain onboard. All the fuel tanks around the keel can be reached, especially after the trawl net has been removed. All sunken warships in the Finnish territorial waters are protected by the Finnish Navy and the War Museum, and a special permit is required before any operations. The removal of UXO etc. needs to be consulted with the Finnish Navy prior to operations.
Wreck site:
Outside the Porkkala peninsula, close to the east-westbound international ship traffic channel of the Gulf of Finland;
Coordinates (roughly) 59o 38.100N & 24o 20.000 E (exact coordinates available)
Water depth: 65-70 m, outer sea area exposed to wind and waves
Main particulars: 127 (length) x 12 (breadth) x 4.0 (draught); 3540 brt
Note:
www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?137871www.hylyt.net/item/Z-36-3283#content3 Monitor Ilmarinen
The Finnish monitor Ilmarinen, built in 1931, sank on the 13th of September 1941 when conducting a mission in the Finnish Archipelago Sea. She was towing paravanes on both sides, when one of them was struck by a mine (or two) causing it to hit the hull behind the midship, resulting in rapid sinking.
The wreck lies on a rather flat sea bottom at the water depth of 77-80 m. She is upside down the double bottom keel visible. However, the stern side is partly submerged under the loose bottom sediment, approximately from the point of the mine impact (the hole caused by the explosion is not visible due to the bottom material).
Navy divers and special task groups have visited the site and there is plenty of photographic material and ROV images available. It is expected that the wreck still contains 80-100 tons of fuel oil, which type is known. All drawings of the ship including the location of the fuel tanks are available. The fuel tanks are mainly on the bottom parts. Special tools need to be used when penetrating through the outer hull (double hull structure). The target is protected by the Finnish Navy, and special permissions and approvals by the Navy are required for any operations.
Wreck site:
Sea area close to Utö;
Coordinates (roughly) 59o 32.000’ N & 20o 54.000’ E (exact coordinates known, a wreck protected by the Finnish Navy)
Water depth: 77-80 m, outer sea area, exposed to winds and waves.
Main particulars: 93.0 (length) x 16.86 (breadth) x 4.50 (draught); 3 900 brt
Note:
www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?148471www.hylyt.net/item/simson-1070#content