The Greek-operated tanker Sea Elephant which suffered hull damage in an incident in the vicinity of the Cayman Brac Port, has left for Grand Cayman after temporary repairs to its damaged hull.
The Department of Environment and Cayman Islands Coast Guard confirmed on Friday that the vessel departed Cayman Brac on Thursday afternoon en route to Grand Cayman “to an anchorage point that offers protection to carry out any additional repair work that may need to be completed”.
The 49,930-dwt oil tanker, built in 2019, which was delivering diesel to Cayman Brac was involved in an incident, on Saturday July 6, in the vicinity of the Cayman Brac Port that resulted in damage to the hull of the vessel and sea floor.
The Cayman Islands government reconfirmed that no fuel or oils were released into the sea at or after the grounding.
The DoE, Coast Guard and the Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands are conducting an investigation into the incident that happened few days ago.
“Marine Surveyors from the Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands have stated that additional inspections are needed to assess the effectiveness of the temporary repairs to the damaged hull of the vessel that were initially carried out in Cayman Brac and to determine the need for additional repair work,” the statement said.
Once completed, the statement added that, any additional repairs will again be assessed by an inspector from the Maritime Authority.
“Should it be determined that the vessel is seaworthy for international voyage, she will be authorised to depart Cayman waters to undergo permanent repairs at a location chosen by her owners,” the government added.
