11 April 2008
Better Mooring for the SS Thistlegorm dive boats
Voted one of the best dives in the world, the SS Thistlegorm was deteriorating because of the numbers of divers visiting it.In December 2007, the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) installed installed 32 mooring lines at the site of the wreck to help protect it. However, in the three months since the conservation work, at least half of the lines have been damaged
Divers from the HEPCA mooring team have spent the last few days working on the mooring system and have lengthened the lines to minimum 18m depth. All the lines are now fitted with steel eyelets to make tying on easier, and each line has a buoy to aid easier identification. In addition, boats are no longer permitted to use the mooring system unless they throw an anchor from the stern. This extra stability should help to ensure that the lines do not become shredded by rubbing against the structure of the wreck in wind and strong currents.
It is hoped that these new enhancements to the system will eliminate any issues with diving operators using the mooring system and will ensure that all who visit the SS Thistlegorm comply with its use. This additional work was undertaken with minimum disruption and without the need for closure of the wreck.
The conservation work on the SS Thistlegorm is part of HEPCA'S Saving the Red Sea Wrecks Campaign.
What do you think of this news item? Start a discussion.
Bookmark with: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit
|
Slashdot It! | Facebook | StumbleUpon --
Subscribe to SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011) for more free news, articles, diving reports and marine life descriptions - http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html
Subscribe to SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011) for more news, articles, diving reports, reviews and marine creature of the month.
(SCUBA News is published by SCUBA Travel once a month. Will will keep your e-mail address confidential and only use it to send you the monthly newsletter.)
