Navy Divers started an impressive operation, to recover an enormous pontoon, that hinders the passage of deeper ships in the port near the oil refinery. The pontoon, 30 meters long, 10 meters wide and 2.5 meters high, is located at a depth of 8 meters and cannot be lifted in its entirety due to its immense weight and is ground into pieces underwater.
The Navy divers, who came to Curaçao to train several diving skills, decided to combine training with rendering back something to the community. Last year they started the operation, but soon enough it was clear that heavier equipment was needed due to unforeseen circumstances under water, to fulfill the task. This year they returned, better prepared with the right material en the needed expertise.
Yesterday and today they booked a very big breakthrough, by with the help of cranes bringing the two first parts of the pontoon to the surface. This is an important milestone in the process. Subsequently the other three parts will be recovered from the water one by one.
In addition to the efforts in the Bullenbaai, the Navy divers used the Caracasbaai as training location for deep sea diving. Besides that, the divers sustain the charity #Willifood, with which they show their involvement with the community of Curaçao.
