Catamaran Fire in Dania Beach
Two sailing catamarans caught fire in Dania Beach, FL in mid-August. Both boats were at a dock located on the Dania Cutoff Canal. A 50’ Leopard was the first to ignite. Once the vessel’s dock lines melted and failed, she drifted into a 45’ Leopard which was soon set ablaze. Both Vessels were constructive total losses.
TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale was contracted to perform the wreck removal for both vessels. The 45’ boat was extinguished early enough to maintain some of its integrity. The crew was able to refloat and dewater this vessel. The 50’ boat was burnt so badly that the two hulls began to fold toward each other as she sank in the center of the busy waterway. The crew knew that it would be necessary to tow her while still afloat on lift bags. Locating a haul out facility for these two vessels was the next challenge that had to be overcome. A local yard agreed to take the 45’, but a crane was needed as the boat was too wide for their travel lift. The 50’ boat was so badly damaged that it could not be towed any distance safely. The crew located a boatyard willing to assist located directly adjacent to the wreck site, the perfect scenario for the precarious tow while suspended on lift bags.
Check out this video of the active fire and the process involved in recovering the wreckage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCOGgwUgbBk
Owners, insurance providers and local residents were all happy with the final outcome of the operation. TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale takes pride in performing tricky wreck removal projects like these and has been Solving Complex Marine Problems since the company was founded back in 1989.
