On Thursday afternoon the US salvage tug Atlantic Salvor arrived from New York and berthed alongside the US Navy ship RV Petrel.
And it seems that she will soon be on the move.
A US Navy spokesperson said: “After reviewing all the available options, the U.S. Navy has decided to tow MV Petrel to a shipyard in the United States for further inspection, repair, and entry on duty.
“While it may seem more complicated and dangerous to a layman, the Navy organizations involved in this operation have a great deal of experience moving ships in this manner, and they are very confident about being able to successfully move RV Petrel.
“In the long run, our calculations show that completing work on the ship in a U.S. shipyard will save time and money, while allowing for closer monitoring by Navy oversight personnel.
“We hope to have enough repairs completed soon to enabled us to move the ship to a location where she can be fully repaired and prepared for duty with the Navy as originally planned.”
On March 22, the US Navy-owned ship was undergoing maintenance at Dale Shipyard in Leith. The ship became dislodged from its holding and fell on its side, injuring a number of shipyard workers.
The vessel was once owned by Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen and purchased in October 2022 by the United States Navy for its Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NAVFAC EXWC). The ship is to be operated by the American company Oceaneering International and with associated spare parts, was purchased for $12,400,000.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
