The following extracts from Lloyd's List appear with the kind permission of

Lloyd's Casualty Desk.

London, Oct 27 - The Combinatie Berging Tricolor consortium reported
today: The wreck removal of vehicle Tricolor has now been successfully
completed. With a constant focus on safety and environment everyone
involved in the removal operation have managed to prevent danger and
further pollution. Last month all large sections of the Tricolor wreck had been
removed. After this the salvage team focussed on removing the remaining
debris and wrecked cargo.

London, Jul 28 - The Combinatie Berging Tricolor consortium reported Jul

23: With the delivery yesterday of one more large section from vehicle
Tricolor wreckage to the scrap site in Zeebrugge all large sections have been
removed from the seabed. Up until today the salvage team has removed in
excess of 8,500 tons of debris. The team will continue its work on the
wreckage with the large grab on Taklift 4, which they temporarily detached
for the lifting of the last large section of approximately 500 tons. This
weekend the grab will be re-attached to Taklift 4 in Zeebrugge. For the
remainder of the operation Taklift 4 will have to remove relatively smaller
parts of the vessel and its cargo, ranging from parts of the car decks, hull
sideplates and cars which lay scattered around the area. All activities are
currently performed as scheduled. Depending on weather conditions, the
work will be finished in September.

London, Jun 21 - The Combinatie Berging Tricolor consortium reported Jun

18: The CBT salvage team is continuing its work on the vehicle Tricolor
wreckage in the English Channel. Floating sheerlegs Taklift 4 and the
supporting vessels Union Beaver and Banckert, which have been working on
the wreckage since the re-start of the salvage operation in May, have
continued their activities. The sheerlegs is picking up debris from the battered
deckside of the vessel. So far this year the sheerlegs has removed
approximately 5.000 tons of debris.

London, Jun 10 - The Combinatie Berging Tricolor consortium reported Jun

4: The floating sheerlegs Taklift 4 continues its work on the vehicle Tricolor
wreckage. Since the salvage operation resumed on May 15, the floating
sheerlegs has lifted approximately 3,500 tons of debris from the seabed. A
barge continuously carries the debris at approximately 700 tons per trip to
Zeebrugge, where the material is processed. Taklift 4 is currently lifting
wreckage debris from the deckside of Tricolor, which was pounded to pieces
by the swells. At the keelside of the remaining Tricolor sections roughly four
double bottom sections are still intact. These will be lifted in due course by
the use of chains or wires.

London, May 25 - Clearing the wreck of the vehicle Tricolor from the middle
of the English Channel is proving to be one of the most costly and complex
salvage operations ever attempted. But the consortium responsible for
removing the sunken car carrier and the hundreds of luxury vehicles still on
the seabed will not make any money from the huge undertaking. Under the
terms of the their contract, salvors will be paid euro45m, but the final bill is
expected to be much higher because of the length of time taken. By the time
the mangled remains of the Tricolor and 2,800 cars it was carrying are finally
removed, it will be almost two years since the accident - assuming salvage
work this summer goes according to plan. The Tricolor was involved in a
collision in December 2002, and capsized within about 30 minutes. The
vessel also created a navigational nightmare as the hull was hit by two other
vessels in the days following the initial impact. Because the vessel was on its
side in the middle of some of the world's busiest shipping lanes, the French
authorities ordered its removal.

London, May 14 - A press report, dated today, states: Efforts resume this
weekend to remove the wreck of vehicle Tricolor which sank in the English
Channel with thousands of luxury cars on board in 2002, the salvage group
said in Brussels. Salvage work was abandoned in November because of bad
weather. Tricolor sank in December, 2002, after a collision with c.c Kariba in
thick fog in Belgian waters north of Dunkirk. The consortium hopes to lift the
remaining four sections and transport them to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge
by September. Work is to resume tomorrow with an anti-pollution vessel on
standby to prevent any oil leaks, although only small quantities of fuel are
believed to still be on board.

Rotterdam, Nov 12 - A press release, dated today, states: The salvage of

vehicle Tricolor will continue once there are weather forecasts indicating an
extended period of favourable conditions. Based on weather statistics from
the past, it can potentially take several months (until April/May) before the
operation can be resumed. In the past 21 days storms and high seas have
hampered the wreck removal operation. To date, since the signing of the
wreck removal contract on Apr 11, the vessel has been successfully cut into
nine sections. Five of these sections have been lifted and transported to
Zeebrugge. Severe winds of up to seven and even eight Beaufort (storm) have
made the operation to remove the four remaining sections too dangerous.
These sections are weakened due to the cutting operation and the bad
weather. They can only be removed by using a floating crane equipped with a
large grab. In order to resume the operation, the salvage team will require
several days for the mobilisation of the necessary vessels and crew.
Anchoring and positioning of the floating cranes and the barges to
accommodate the sections will also be time consuming. Therefore, the
continuation of the operation is only feasible if the weather forecast indicates
an improvement for an extended period of time. In order to secure the safety
of vessels passing the wreck, an internationally accepted safety system of
cardinal buoys will remain on site, and adequate guarding will be maintained.
It is estimated that approximately 1.5 % of the original quantity of oil can still
be contained within the wreck. This limited amount of oil can not be
recovered at present. When the remaining sections are being lifted, the
salvage team will once again deploy an anti oil pollution vessel properly
equipped to recover any oil that might escape to the sea. The majority of the
vessel?s cargo is still in the remaining sections, but there are remnants of the
cargo scattered in the close vicinity around the wreck. The salvors will not
only remove the four sections of the vessel, but will also collect cargo and
debris from the seabed. Until this operation is completely finished, there will
be a risk that some floating parts of the cargo (bumpers, tires) will drift in the
ocean. Every effort will be made to recover this remaining debris for
destruction.

London, Nov 4 - A press report, dated yesterday, states: Vehicle Tricolor's

salvage operation, due to finish this month, is to be extended by almost a year
due to the number of vehicles still on the seabed. The Norwegian tanker,
which sunk off the Belgian coast in December 2002, provoked an
environmental disaster when it began leaking fuel. The tanker was carrying a
cargo of Volvo, Saab and BMW cars at the time of its sinking, only 330 of the
2,862 cars which were aboard have been brought to the surface. "With
vehicles still full of fuel, further environmental damage cannot be ruled out,"
said Captain Jacques Loncke, head of the Belgian Coast Guard. A massive
salvage operation has been ongoing for several months, the vessel was sawed
into several pieces before being towed to the port of Zeebrugge for
dismantling. The final debris of the vessel's cargo is resting some 16 metres
underwater and so is not longer a hazard for navigating vessels.

London, Oct 28 - Following received from Combinatie Berging Tricolor,

dated Oct 27: Unfavourable weather conditions have necessitated a temporary
postponement of the wreck removal operation of vehicle Tricolor. The
operation to remove the remaining four sections was scheduled to commence
last week after the completion of the cutting operation on Oct 17. The
operation will continue as soon as the weather forecast indicates an
improvement for a longer period of time. The floating crane Rambiz,
scheduled to lift the remaining sections, returned to Zeebrugge to seek shelter.
Also the semi-submersible barge Giant 2 returned to Zeebrugge.

Rotterdam, Oct 17 - 'Combinatie Salvage Tricolor' report that today at 0635

the eighth and final cut of the vehicle Tricolor was completed. This morning
the specially designed cutting wire sliced through the last remaining
centimetres of steel. During the final cut no oil pollution was reported. The
remarkable cutting operation started on Jul 22. In less then three months the
enormous vessel has been cut into nine pieces. The salvage team looks back
on a successful operation, although the team had to overcome several
technical problems and some unfavourable weather conditions. Five sections
of the Tricolor have already been lifted and transported to Zeebrugge. Today
the floating cranes Rambiz will begin to lift the remaining sections of the
Tricolor. The jack-up rigs Vagant and Buzzard will be demobilised and return
to their home bases. The semi-submersible barge Giant 2 will stay at the
Tricolor location to receive the remaining sections of the vessel and transport
them to Zeebrugge. - SMIT Salvage BV.

London, Feb 25 - M vehicle carrier Tricolor left Rotterdam Feb 23, for
Hamburg.

Maassluis, Feb 22 - M vehicle carrier Tricolor (49,792 gt, built 1987)

departed Kallo locks for Rotterdam, grounded at buoy 66, outer fairway at
0130, local time, this morning. No damage reported. Vessel was refloated at
0255, local time by two tugs and is proceeding on voyage to Rotterdam. -
Lloyd's Sub-agents. (Note - Tricolor sailed Antwerp Feb 22.)

Terneuzen, Feb 22 - M vehicle carrier Tricolor, Antwerp for Rotterdam

loaded with vehicles, grounded near Buoy 66B, River Scheldt, at 0155, local
time, Feb 22. Multraship Towage and Salvage and SUS directed their tugs to
the scene and made fast under conditions of Lloyd's Open Form 2000. Vessel
was refloated at high water. After a thorough inspection, vessel was able to
proceed on voyage to Rotterdam. No visible damage found. - Multraship BV

"Thrice Bitten".

On The Scene

In The English Channel

Dec. 14 AND 15 2002 AND Jan.1 2003

The Cargo Nightmare 3rd Place Prize Winner !

The Time: Sat. Dec. 14 2002

AND AGAIN Sun. Dec. 15 2002

AND AGAIN Wed. Jan.1 2003

The Place: 30 miles E. of Ramsgate, UK - The Channel

M/V Tricolor
Vessel Type: - Roll-On, Roll-Off (Ro- Crew: 24
Ro)
Registry: Norwegian Built: Japan in 1987

Gross Tonnage: 49,792 MT Date Vessel Entered Fleet:

Length: 109 meters Wallenius Wilhelmsen took delivery of

Beam: 32 meters 4 advanced Ro-Ro new buildings in 2000-01.

Capacity: 6,050 cars

Decks: 4 hoistable decks

Ramp Width: 12 meters

Ramp Height: 6.40 meters

"Once Bitten" a song for the lost M/V Tricolor
Verse Chorus

"Somebody said that I'm a "Cos' I've been bitten before, so

loner I won't take anymore

Well I guess that could be I know when there's trouble, I'm

once bitten twice shy
See I was Bitten by a stranger
Well I've been bitten before, so I
To much for someone like me won't say anymore

I know it was wrong Life's full of trouble, 'till you're

once bitten twice shy"
Now there's one thing for sure

It happened to me, but it

won't happen anymore" Music, lyrics & vocal melody: Ian Parry
Proud Pre-Bitten M/V Tricolor In Better Days
 ONCE BITTEN

From The Cargo Letter of Sat. Dec. 14 2002 >>

Norwegian-registered Wilhelmsen Lines ro/ro M/V Tricolor, Zebrugge,
Belgium, for Southampton with 2,862 cars & 77 containers, in
collision with Bahamas-registered 577-foot container M/V Kariba, 30
miles E. of Ramsgate, England. Tricolor sank --- resting on the
bottom of Channel, but only partly submerged because tide low.
Kariba returning to Antwerp, Belgium escorted by Belgian warship &
French coast guard. Bad year for Ro/Ro's. Tricolor worth about £25M
(US$40M) & cargo up to £31M (US$49M). (Posted Sat. Dec. 14 2002)

Official - From Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines AS. >>

"There were no personal injuries when the Norwegian car carrier

TRICOLOR collided at 02:30 hrs. Dec. 14 in the English Channel with
the Bahamas registered container vessel KARIBA.

"The damage on TRICOLOR was so extensive that the vessel sank at

approx. 05:00 hrs. local time and the vessel is now situated at approx.
25 meters depth. TRICOLOR was carrying 2,862 cars & 77 units of
RoRo-cargo on its way from Zeebrugge to Southampton when the
collision occurred. KARIBA was damaged above the water line and is
now headed for Antwerp. The crew of 24 persons onboard TRICOLOR
consists of a Norwegian Captain, a Swedish Cargo Superintendent & 22
Filipinos.

"Onboard TRICOLOR were approx. 2,000 tons of bunker oil and

according to information received from the French authorities, no oil
has leaked from the vessel so far. We are cooperating closely with the
French authorities.
"After the collision, the tugboat BOXER, being in the proximity,
rendered assistance & picked up 21 of the crew of TRICOLOR. The
other 3 were picked up by KARIBA.

"TRICOLOR is owned by Capital Bank Plc. UK, and is (er, "was") on a

long-term charter to Wilhelmsen Lines Shipowning AS, Norway. The
vessel is managed by the Norwegian company Barber Ship
Management AS, and operated by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines AS."

So, on Dec. 14 2002 M/V Tricolor with its US$49M cargo of almost
3,000 new BMWs, Volvos & Saabs -- the vessel lay just below the
surface -- in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes

Images of the scene bore a chilling resemblance to the aftermath of

the sinking of the passenger ferry M/V Herald of Free Enterprise in
1987 near Zeebrugge harbor.

Vessels using this busiest world shipping lane were warned of this
sunken wreck blocking the route. A UK Coastguard boat remained
alongside to alert other ships to the Tricolor's presence.

But heavy fog was preventing a salvage operation assessment from

been carried out. While shipping was being warned of the 50,000-ton,
200-meter ship obstacle, "the Dover Straits were expected to
continue as normal," the French Coastguard said. Normal?
Salvage Vessel Asian Hercules
TWICE BITTEN
95 meter Dutch Antilles registered 3,000gt M/V Nicola (built 2001), La
Coruna in N. Spain for Rotterdam with 7 crew, ran down the sunken
Tricolor on Dec. 15 2002. The Nicola was stuck on top of The Tricolor
for several hours before being pulled free by two tugs on Monday
Dec.16 morning. A team of 8 & a vessel from salvage company Smit
Tak were in position 20 miles E. of the Kent coast to check Tricolor for
oil leaks, but high winds & strong sea currents prevented divers from
going down to the wreck to assess damage on Dec, 15 2002.

The 80gt French patrol vessel Geranium (P720), sent from Cherbourg,
came alongside Tricolor to alert other ships to wreck. A single buoy
marked the spot. THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER COLLISIONS,
vowed the French!

Diver Support Vessel M/V NORMAND FLOWER of SMIT Salvage Co

THRICE BITTEN
From The Cargo Letter of Wed., Jan. 1 2003 >>
'Turkish-registered 800-foot M/T Vicky (built in 1981), Antwerp,
Belgium for New York with 2 million gallons of kerosene & 24 crew,
struck wreckage of sunken car transporter M/V
Tricolor<<webfeature in the English Channel Jan. 1 -- but was freed
after more than 2 hours -- Tricolor, laden with BMWs, Volvos & Saabs,
sank Dec. 15, after colliding in thick fog with a container ship 30 miles
east of Ramsgate, southeastern England, ^ salvage efforts continue.
How the hell do you hit this now well known wreck?" (Posted
Wed, Jan. . 1 2003)
No Injuries -- Damage Estimates US$49M For Cargo Alone
Wreck Stabilized>>
On 25 February 2003 SMIT Salvage Co. reported that oil recovery
operation on the wreck of M/V Tricolor has been completed. That
means that all oil that can be safely reached & pumped has now been
removed. Less than 5 % of the original quantity of bunker/diesel
remains on board and will be recovered in conjunction with the
upcoming salvage operation. The 960 meter Diver Support Vessel
MPSV Normand Flower has left site & returned to Rotterdam to
unload oil pumped from wreck. It will be disposed of in an
environmental sound manner ashore. Two guard vessels will remain in
order to preserve safety. The cardinal buoy system & other safety
measures will remain in place. Wreck of Tricolor will hopefully be
removed by the end of August 2003, although the process very much
will be weather dependent.

Official Wilhelmsen Lines:

"It will have to be brought up in pieces. It's 20,000 tons of steel, and
the size of 2 football fields. There isn't a crane in the world that can lift
that."

Agreement with SMIT Salvage Co. concerning Tricolor wreck

removal (as distributed by Wilh. Wilhelmsen on March 21st,
2003)

"Wilh. Wilhelmsen, representing the owners of TRICOLOR and Gard

Services AS, representing the P&I Club, have reached an agreement in
principle concerning removal of the TRICOLOR wreck with a consortium
named "Combinatie Berging TRICOLOR" headed by SMIT Salvage B.V.
and with Scaldis, URS and Multraship as partners."We are pleased that
we have managed to reach agreement in principle with this consortium
about what will be one of the largest wreck removal operations
concerning a commercial vessel ever", says London-based lawyer Mr
Morten Lund Mathisen of the Norwegian law firm Wikborg, Rein & Co,
who has represented the TRICOLOR interests in the negotiations. "Now
we will start working on the details. We hope to be able to sign the full
contract some time next week, which will mean that the matter is
progressing in line with earlier projections", Mr. Lund Mathisen
states.Mr Hans Chr. Bangsmoen, the press spokesperson of Wilh.
Wilhelmsen, states: "We are very satisfied that we are about to reach
the second milestone in the case of removing TRICOLOR. The first
milestone was reached upon removal of the bunker oil, thereby
reducing the risk of harm to the environment. We now look forward to
get the wreck removal contract signed and the operation started as
soon as possible. The third and final milestone will be the completion of
the wreck removal operation, including the prudent disposal of the
wreck sections and cargo ashore."The following information concerning
the method and time of removal has been provided by the consortium:
The wreck will be cut into seven sections of approximately 3,000 tons
each by means of specially designed cutting wire system that was
used in the lifting of the Russian submarine KURSK in the Barents Sea.
Each wreck section, including the cargo inside, will be lifted by means
of two sheerleg crane barges that have two times 3,000 tons lifting
capacity.

Thereafter each section will be positioned onto a transport barge and

carried to a specially designed shore facility for further disposal. It is
anticipated that the wreck removal operation may be completed this
autumn - weather permitting."

NOTE: More than 1,000 birds have been found dead or damaged by
the oil of Tricolor, and many more likely have died at sea,
environmental officials said.

UPDATE: BRUSSELS, Belgium - Aug. 2003 - Salvage teams on Aug.

3 2003 raised the 1st section of Norwegian-registered M/V Tricolor
from the bottom of the North Sea, where it sank 8 months ago with
thousands of luxury cars on board.
Two floating cranes took about 12 hours to lift the 3,000-ton stern
&emdash; including part of the engine room, the propeller and some of
the cargo &emdash; of the Tricolor from its resting place about 35
yards below the surface in one of the world's busiest sea lanes.

The wreckage was set on a barge and was to be brought to the Belgian
port of Zeebrugge early Monday, said Lars Walder, spokesman for the
Dutch-Belgian consortium Combinatie Salvage Tricolor.

A small oil slick seen in the area probably came from the engine,
Walder said. He estimated the spill at 13-26 gallons, far less than the
3,000 gallons that leaked from the wreck and onto Belgian and Dutch
beaches last winter.

"We know there's still a little oil in there," he said. "That's why we have
a special anti-pollution (oil recovery) ship alongside."

The 16-year-old M/V Tricolor sank Dec. 14, 2002, after colliding with
the Bahamas-flagged container M/V Kariba in thick fog about 20 miles
N. of the French city of Dunkirk.

Removing the wreckage became a priority after the Turkish M/T Vicky,
with 25 million gallons of diesel fuel, struck it Jan. 1 despite warnings,
as did two other ships. Most of the Vicky's cargo was off-loaded onto
another ship, averting a larger disaster.
The US$40M Tricolor salvage effort began last month and is expected
to finish by October.

Salvage workers are sawing the wreck into 9 pieces with a specially
designed, diamond-encrusted wire. Its cargo of 3,000 BMWs, Saabs &
Volvos will be junked.

UPDATE: BRUSSELS, Belgium - Oct. 2003

Floating cranes lifting the remaining sections of sunken car carrier M/V
Tricolor from English Channel.

Salvage team spent 3 months slicing 50,000gt M/V Tricolor into 9

sections "like cheese". Wreck has blocked part of English Channel for
10 months & lies around 30 miles E. of Ramsgate, Kent.

Sections of ship's hull are to be lifted onto a barge & taken to Belgian
port of Zeebrugge over next 2 weeks.

190meter Norwegian-owned vessel with thousands of luxury cars

worth £30m when it collided with container ship in thick fog Dec.
2002. Two other ships later collided with wreck, as did salvage tug in
late Jan. -- led to spillage of oil thought to have affected seabirds.
Salvage operation is expected to cost of around £25m. Salvage team
hope to finish pulling remaining pieces from water in 2 weeks. Weather
may cause delays.

UPDATE: LAX, The Cargo Letter - Oct. 19 2003

Dutch Antilles registered 3,000gt, 95mt. M/V Nicola, La Coruna in N.

Spain for Rotterdam in ballast -- made #4 hit (of ships hitting M/V
Tricolor) -- ran atop wreck & got stuck over Norwegian M/V
Tricolor<<this webfeature -- M/V Nicola came free 19 Oct., under help
of tugs & rising tide. (Sun. Oct. 19 2003)

SPECIAL NOTE: The historic dangers of carriage by sea continue to be

quite real. Shippers must be encouraged to purchase high quality
marine cargo insurance from their freight forwarder or customs broker.
It's dangerous out there.