Last Friday, April 4, the Navy’s sailboat NRP Polar, used for training by students at the Naval School, was re-floated. The ship is currently docked at the Lisbon Naval Base.
The refloating of this sailboat, a complex operation that required the preparation of a refloating plan, involved the commitment of several units, namely 31 military personnel from the Divers’ Group, the Ships’ Directorate, the Lisbon Naval Base, the Department for Combating Pollution at Sea (of the General Directorate of the National Maritime Authority), which placed anti-pollution barriers around the ship, and the crew of the NRP Polar, complemented by technicians from a company specializing in diving activities.
The diving operations took place in conditions of almost zero underwater visibility, which made the work difficult.
The refloating of the ship involved raising it in a balanced manner, bringing it to the surface to allow the water inside to be drained, while maintaining its structural integrity.
For this purpose, a cradle was built where refloating balloons were applied along the ship, considering the distribution of forces, which allowed its 77 tons to be balanced, before surfacing.
The NRP Polar will now undergo a rigorous inspection, with a view to determining the causes of its loss of buoyancy, as well as carrying out a technical assessment of its condition.