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The Seychelles Patriot, a fuel tanker owned by Seychelles, has been successfully refloated after being stranded for nine days in Brazil's Amazon River. The operation was confirmed by the Seychelles Petroleum Company (Seypec) in a statement released today. The re-floating process commenced with the arrival of specialized tug boats and concluded in three hours as the tanker was maneuvered off the mud banks where it had been lodged. Earlier attempts to free the vessel had been unsuccessful. Following the successful re-floating, the Seychelles Patriot is en route to Port Santarem for inspections by the Classification Society before it continues its journey to Manaus City, Brazil. Fortunately, there were no reports of oil spills or injuries among the 18 crew members, which included eight Seychellois nationals. The tanker was chartered by Brazil's Petrobras for the transportation of gasoil at the time of the incident on October 8, while navigating its authorized route with Brazilian pilots on board.

The MT Seychelles Patriot has been stranded in the midsection of the Amazon River for over a week after running aground on October 8th, caught in shifting sand and mudbanks. The product tanker was making its way to Manaus City from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, carrying a cargo, with two Brazilian pilots onboard as mandated by the Brazilian Maritime Authority. Seychelles Petroleum, the ship's owner, provided an update stating that the vessel remains structurally sound, having been assessed and confirmed by the classification society. They noted, "The vessel remains in an uncritical state with respect to its structural integrity. No product spillages or crew injuries have been reported. It is important to highlight that the vessel is built to stringent double hull structural specifications." An initial attempt to refloat the vessel under its own power was made on the same day it ran aground but did not succeed. Under the coordination of German Tanker Shipping GmbH, a salvage operation was initiated, bringing in SMIT, a salvage specialist company from the Netherlands. On October 12th, two salvage experts were flown in to assist with the operation. A salvage plan was crafted and secured approval from the classification society, the Santarem Port Authority, and the insurance company by the morning of October 13th. As part of this effort, the experts boarded the Seychelles Patriot alongside representatives from the insurance firm and Germanischer Lloyd, tasked with ensuring the vessel's structural integrity. The first significant refloating attempt took place on the evening of October 13th at 18:00 LT (01:00 hours Seychelles time), following the arrival of two tugboats by midday, all under the watchful eye of the Brazilian Maritime Authority. However, the operation was halted when the team discovered that the two tugboats were not adequately sized and encountered mechanical issues, reducing their effectiveness. To bolster the salvage efforts, an additional tugboat is being sourced from the nearby port of Santarem, while repairs to the mechanical failures of the initially chartered tugs are underway. Another attempt to refloat the Seychelles Patriot is expected to occur later this evening.

Efforts are intensifying to refloat the 'Seychelles Patriot', which became stranded during its voyage along the Amazon River on October 8, as it was on its way to Manaus City for a cargo discharge following its journey from Rio De Janeiro. This marks the ship's eighth trip up the Amazon when it grounded on shifting sand and mud banks, an unfortunate event that occurred despite having two Brazilian pilots on board as per regulations by the Brazilian Maritime Authority. The tanker was carrying a significant load of gasoil at the time of the incident. Immediately following the grounding, Seypec, the state-owned company, alerted all relevant parties including the insurance company, classification society, charterer Petrobras, the Santarem Port Authority, which oversees the area, and the Seychelles Maritime Safety Authority (SMSA). Multiple attempts to refloat the tanker have been made, but none have succeeded thus far. The initial effort on October 8 aimed to refloat the vessel under its own power but ended in failure, prompting the engagement of Dutch salvage experts to devise a new strategy. By the morning of October 13, a salvage plan was formulated and received the green light from the classification society, Santarem Port Authority, and the insurance company. A second re-floating attempt commenced on the evening of October 13 at 6 p.m. LT, after two tugboats arrived by midday with official clearance from the Brazilian Maritime Authority. Unfortunately, this attempt was aborted due to the inadequacy of the tugboats, which were not only too small but also suffered mechanical issues that impeded their effectiveness. Now, a third re-floating operation is being organized for the evening after the damaged tugs have been serviced and a larger tug from the nearby port of Santarem arrives to support the salvage team. The situation remains critical as salvage experts continue their work to resolve the incident effectively.