Heavy lifting and transport giant Mammoet is to salvage 70 shipwrecks in Nouadhibou Bay, Mauretania, in a bid to free shipping lanes in the area.Â
The EU has made $40 million available for removing the wrecks to 11 operators, and Mammoet Salvage’s own operation will start in April 2011 and is due to run for 22 months in the West African country.
Nouadhibou Bay (average water depth 10m) is a busy area for industrial shipping and fishing vessels. The shipwrecks, which range from 200 to 1,200 tons in size, form obstacles and hazards to shipping, and traffic has dropped off greatly in recent years, with an adverse economic and social impact.
