The charter of a heavy lift ship to remove the stricken Transocean Winner oil rig has been confirmed.
The Norwegian-
The 65,000 tonne Hawk was recently in the Indian Ocean. She is due to arrive in Scotland next week.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) confirmed that a contract has been signed with the Norwegian Company Offshore Heavy Transport.
The Hawk may arrive on scene within a couple of weeks to allow preparations in advance of the loading.
The rig is to be towed into deeper water two miles north of its present position at Broad Bay.
When the weather is suitable -
The rig will then be slowly floated onboard and the ship will rise out of the water.
The 17,600 tonne platform will be welded to the deck of the ship -
Fuel on board the rig will be removed before it leaves Lewis.
Hugh Shaw, the UK Government's salvage advisor, said: "There will be many technical challenges surrounding the operations, however I am satisfied that this is the safest option and it fully meets the requirements to minimise any future risk to safety or damage to the environment."
Preparations for the operation are now underway. The listing rig remains stable and is connected to eight anchors in Broad Bay.
A temporary exclusion zone of 1km has been established in Broad Bay and will remain in place to minimise any risk to safety for other vessels or crafts using the bay. It will also provide a safe working area for divers and other surface vessels supporting the ongoing salvage operation.
A temporary exclusion zone of 750 metres remains in place in Dalmore Bay where the rig ran aground on 8 August.
Diving operations to locate and remove metal debris from the rig is suspended due to swell conditions in the area.
The beach itself is not subject to any restrictions, however as a precautionary measure, there is still additional signage in place advising people of the potential hazards in the Dalmore beach area.
Heavy lift ship confirmed to remove oil rig
6 September 2016
The Hawk transports oil rigs across the world
Offshore Heavy Transport AS