MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Almirante Irizar back in Argentina, “85% recovered from fire”

Icebreaker ARA Irizar is towed to Pto. Belgrano

Argentine icebreaker “Almirante Irizar” arrived Friday night to Puerto Belgrano naval base ten days after a fire ravaged the generator room forcing the evacuation in mid South Atlantic of 300 people, including crew members and scientists on their return from Antarctica.

Slowly the huge smoke tainted orange vessel docked in Puerto Belgrano after having been towed in a combined operation by support vessels from the Argentine Navy and a contracted high seas tug. Captain Guillermo Tarapow and a group of thirty experts and tactical divers were received by a cheering crowd of top officials and relatives in the midst of a display of lights and torches since the vessel was without energy. "A hundred percent of the crew saved, 85% of the vessel saved", said Captain Tarapow wearing a smoked dusted boiler suit and a bandaged hand on landing and reporting to his superior officers, as was seen in the Argentine television. "We managed to recover 85% of the vessel from what seemed an inevitable disaster. This was epic and we counted with a hundred heroes; you'll read about it after I hand the report to my commanding officer", said Captain Tarapow who also praised the support from three vessels that helped to rescue the crew the night fire broke out: a Panamanian bunker and two fishing vessels, one Uruguayan flagged. Fire started at the generator room of the icebreaker late at night Tuesday April 11 and quickly heated the room to extraordinary temperatures threatening the fuel tank holding a million liters of fuel. With fire and temperatures out of control and a "time bomb" ticking Captain Tarapow ordered the crew to abandon ship although he remained on board with a few officers. "It all happened in a few minutes with eight fire outbreaks and temperature soaring to 900 degrees because bronze and iron melted. A fuel pipe ruptured and spread more fuel with temperature in the engine room close to 1.500 degrees which is when steel rivets fly off and plates begin twisting", said Captain Tarapow. With all the crew off the vessel, and having somehow managed to pump 200 tons of sea water into the fire area, "I realized we hadn't lost 15% of the vessel, we had recovered 85% of Irizar". The following day a group of thirty experts and tactical divers boarded the vessel and together with the captain and officers who remained on board, begun working to prepare the vessel to be towed back. Almirante Irizar was built in Finland and delivered to Argentina in 1978, and has since become the backbone of the country's operations in Antarctica. In 1982 during the South Atlantic conflict she acted as a hospital ship. A few years ago she was involved in incursions in Falklands' waters demanding fishing vessels to identify themselves. This was considered illegal, provocative and intimidating by the Islands' officials. No information was advanced as to how long it will take to have Argentina's icebreaker operational again, although some Navy sources originally mentioned a "period of two years" given the extent of the damage in the generators and engine rooms.