Wreck Removal Vessel

A wreck removal vessel is a heavy-lift or salvage unit deployed to raise, cut, or remove a wrecked ship that obstructs navigation or threatens the marine environment, often a sheerleg crane barge, semi-submersible heavy-lift ship, or jack-up with cutting and lifting spreads. The Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007, adopted 18 May 2007 and in force 14 April 2015, makes the registered owner strictly liable for locating, marking, and removing a hazardous wreck and requires compulsory insurance for ships of 300 GT and above. Coastal states may act and recover costs against that liability.