About the project

In 2020, Proper Marine – now Longitude Brazil – carried out one of the most challenging projects in its history: the rescue of the merchant ship Stellar Banner, which ran aground off the coast of Maranhão.

Originally intended to transport iron ore cargo to China, the ship suffered two cracks in its hull shortly after departing from the Ponta da Madeira Port Terminal in São Luís (MA).

According to information from the Port Authority of Maranhão, signs of the vessel’s scuttling appeared 100 km off the coast. Faced with this situation, the commander issued an alert and directed the vessel to run aground on a sandbank, where it remained for three months.

The challenge

The project was conducted during the pandemic in collaboration with the salvage specialists Ardent and Smith.

The challenge was significant due to the size of the vessel and the intensity of the prolonged grounding. The Maranhão region, characterized by tidal variations of 6 meters, presented strong currents that were too strong for the vessel.

What our team had to say

“We performed three-dimensional modeling of the vessel’s hull and the seabed. Through bathymetry, we were able to precisely identify the area where it was grounded. We carried out calculations to reverse the situation, determining the amount of cargo and water to be removed. These analyses were conducted using our engineering simulation programs.”

Bernardo Xavier, Regional Director of Longitude South America

The results 

After the cargo – equivalent to 145,000 tons of iron ore – and the fuel oil were removed, the ship could be moved from the site to deeper waters, about 111 km from São Luís. To avoid further environmental impact, the vessel was jettisoned in July 2020.

Daily communication between the Longitude engineering team in Maranhão and the headquarters in Rio de Janeiro enabled the rapid transmission of engineering needs, contributing to the success of the operation.