Trawler net recovered from MV Sirabuen shipwreck

Last year, 17 May 2020 to be more precise, we conducted a survey on the shipwreck MV Sirabuen, which rests at 22m depth in the Dutch North Sea off the coast of IJmuiden. Here we found a complete trawl net, lost because it had snagged on parts of the wreck and was largely visible above the sandy bottom. The net was no longer actively fishing, the meshes are too thick and too large for that and the net was largely rolled up. Nevertheless, we decided to remove the net because of the polluting effect of the plastic on the underwater nature. On September 5, 2021 we got the chance again and set course for this shipwreck with our new ship MV MAKO.

Since it was a silted trawler net, and thus made with a thick rope rope reinforced with metal wire, we decided to “peel” the net from these ropes. By putting the whole net under tension this went well, in about an hour bottom time we had lifted 80% of the visible net to the surface. Because this type of net is perfect for upcycling into accessories, it is taken to our Healthy Seas partner Bracenet for processing.

Pascal van Erp | Coordinator Ghost Diving The Netherlands