Citius Vessel Reviews and Specifications

The bulk carrier 'Citius', which encountered grounding issues on the Seine on December 17, embarked from Le Havre on January 17 at 2:30 p.m. Aided by the tugs 'Multratug 3' and 'Multratug 29', the vessel is en route to Rotterdam, with an estimated arrival date of January 19. Here, necessary repairs, including work on its damaged rudders, will be conducted. In recent days, the remaining 60,000 tons of coal cargo was successfully unloaded after an initial 15,000 tons were extracted at Radicatel prior to the ship's relocation to Le Havre earlier this month. The 'Citius' is scheduled to dock at the Damen Shiprepair Yard in Rotterdam for its repairs at 10:45 p.m. on January 19. For more detailed coverage including photos, refer to the French report at http://meretmarine.com/fr/content/le-citius-quitte-le-havre-pour-se-faire-reparer-aux-pays-bas.

On January 4, 2017, at precisely 11:45 a.m., the cargo vessel 'Citius' departed from the Radicatel wharf, situated upstream of the Tancarville bridge in Saint-Jean-de-Folleville. This significant maneuver involved the coordination of five tugs, including the renowned 'Abeille Liberté' from the military port of Cherbourg. To ensure a smooth towing operation, all traffic in the Seine River was halted, extending the operation until 5 p.m. The 'Citius' was then directed towards the port of Le Havre, arriving at the anchorage by 2:30 p.m. on January 5, and officially entering the port at 8:30 p.m. on January 7. The ship was carrying a substantial cargo of 76,000 tonnes of coal, originally destined for the Paris region and sourced from Rotterdam. The vessel had encountered unforeseen delays, having discharged only 16,000 tonnes of its total cargo over nearly three weeks after running aground on December 17 at Darse, located on the south bank of the Seine. Efforts to unload the grounded cargo commenced on December 19 and were completed by January 2. The grounding incident, which also inflicted rudder damage on the 'Citius,' took place off the coast of Quillebeuf-sur-Seine. Subsequently, the only feasible option was to tow the ship to the nearby Radicatel terminal. On January 6, the remaining coal cargo was set to be unloaded at the mineral terminal, equipped for handling bulk carriers. Once all cargo operations are finalized, the 'Citius' will be taken to a shipyard for the necessary repairs. For further details, including photos and videos from the incident, please refer to the following links: - [Paris Normandie - Citius leaves Radicatel](http://www.paris-normandie.fr/breves/normandie/le-citius-vient-de-quitter-le-quai-de-radicatel-direction-le-port-du-havre-YN7960818#.WG6yb2UxnIU) - [Paris Normandie - Recovery after fog delays](http://www.paris-normandie.fr/actualites/economie/echoue-depuis-pres-de-trois-semaines-a-saint-jean-de-folleville-a-cause-du-brouillard-le-vraquier-citius-a-enfin-ete-remorque-YF7968067#) - [Le Marin - Dramatic towing operation](http://www.lemarin.fr/secteurs-activites/shipping/27332-seine-spectaculaire-remorquage-du-vraquier-echoue-avant-noels) - [Premar Manche - Press release](https://www.premar-manche.gouv.fr/communiques-presse/abeille-liberte-participe-aux-operations-remorquage-cargo-citius.html) - [Le Parisien - Dramatic rescue of the stranded freighter](http://www.leparisien.fr/haute-normandie/normandie-spectaculaire-remorquage-du-vraquier-geant-echoue-dans-la-seine-05-01-2017-6529194.php) - [France 3 Regions - Towing preparations](http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/haute-normandie/seine-maritime/pays-de-caux/havre/preparatifs-remorquage-exceptionnel-au-havre-1167259.html) - [France 3 Regions - Start of exceptional towing](http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/haute-normandie/seine-maritime/pays-de-caux/havre/debut-du-remorquage-exceptionnel-du-navire-citius-havre-1167909.html)

On September 17, 2016, at 12:14 PM local time, the bulk carrier 'Citius' encountered a critical situation when it grounded in a meander of the Seine River, situated between Le Havre and Rouen. The vessel became stuck near the Quillebeuf buoy while navigating upstream. Immediate action was taken, with tugs dispatched from Port-Jérôme to assist in the salvage efforts; however, the initial attempts proved unsuccessful. In response to the grounding, the Grand Maritime Port of Rouen coordinated the deployment of six additional tugs: four from Le Havre and two from Rouen. By 5:30 PM, progress was made as the vessel's stern was successfully pulled from the mud, although low tide halted further operations in the early evening. Tugs 'Rmt Penfret', 'Vb 21 Fecamp', 'Vb Beauville 26', 'Vb Gascogne 22', and 'Vb Yport 12' were actively engaged in the operation. The situation required patience as the tide rose, and at 10:30 PM, the bow of the 'Citius' was finally freed from the sand and mud that ensnared it. Once the vessel was floated within the channel, tow operations commenced towards Le Havre, where the deep-sea tug 'Abeille Liberté' was prepped for intervention. As a safety measure, the prefecture of Seine-Maritime had previously halted all maritime traffic along the Seine between Le Havre and Rouen following the incident. Around midnight, tugs including 'Louis Thomas', 'Cpt Jean Thomas', 'Rmt Penfret', 'Vb 21 Fecamp', 'Vb Deauville 26', 'Vb Gascogne 22', and 'Vb Yport 12' gathered around the 'Citius' to guide it back into deeper waters, with the patrol boat 'Oceanite' also in attendance. Ultimately, the vessel was turned around and successfully transported to the Seine Container Terminal in Le Havre, where it docked at 3 AM on December 18, 2016. Initially arriving from Rotterdam, the 'Citius' had been destined for Rouen before the unfortunate grounding event. For more visual coverage, refer to these French reports with photos and video: [Normandie Actu](http://www.normandie-actu.fr/cargo-plus-280-metres-bloque-meandre-seine-havre-rouen_247602/), [France 3 Regions](http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/haute-normandie/seine-maritime/navigation-seine-stoppee-au-niveau-quillebeuf-apres-echouage-cargo-1157433.html), and [Le Parisien](http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/en-images-seine-maritime-un-cargo-de-288-metres-s-echoue-dans-la-seine-17-12-2016-6468612.php).