On May 25 the "Southern Phoenix" was scuttled 6,5 miles off Suva by the Pacific Towing Company Ltd. (PACTOW) from Papue Neuw Guinea in a depth of 1000 meters after having been towed out of port on May 25, more thantwo years after it sank at the south end of the Kings Wharf on May 6, 2017. The Fiji Ports Corporatoin spent $1 million for the removal of the wreeck at the expense of the Lami based Cruz Holdings Ltd., the owner. The ship was refloated on May 12 and stabilized for its final voyage.

Thank you Frits Olinga for the updates on what has been happening to her.

Hulk of sunken vessel towed to scuttling site on 25 May 2019.

The wreck of the "Southern Phoenix" which sank at the Kings Wharf in May, 2017 was removed from the Suva Harbour on May 25. It took Fiji Ports Corporation Limited 18 months of finalizing procedures to see the successful removal of the wreck. The hull was pulled to its scuttling site by two tugs of the Papua New Guinea based-salvage company Pacific Towing Company Limited which had won the tender rom three shortlisted overseas companies and began the wreck removal operation in November 2018. The owner of the sunken vessel Cruz Holdings Limited for their commitment since they were issued with the Removal Order on May 8, 2017 under the Seaport Management Regulations Act. Approximately one million Dollar was spent to mobilize the salvaging equipment by PACTOW.

Southern Phoenix to be scuttled.(reported 8 May 2019.)
The hulk of the "Southern Phoenix" will be towed outside the Suva Reef during this week, if weather permits. This has been confirmed by the Acting CEO of the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji. The vessel will be towed to a position of about six miles away from the reef, just outside the Suva Harbour and then be sunk at a contour depth of 1000 metres. The hull has been stabilized and all oil remittance and hazardous materials have been removed.

12-March 2019 The "Southern Phoenix" has been refloated in the afternoon of March 12, but was still partially submerged. More work needs to be done before any further movement of the vessel could be carried out. For now the salvage company will attend to other issues before the vessel is moved to a holding area. The pumping in of air is needed so they have to look for any other leaks in the hull which need to be sealed so that the vessel is stabilized and can be moved. The towing of the vessel to its scuttling position will depend on the weather.

Salvage works at the "Southern Phoenix" were progressing and expected to be completed by end of January, 2019. Salvors of the Pacific Towing PNG Ltd. were now removing cargo inside the sunken vessel, which included general cargo, building materials and vehicles. In the second week of operation all the cargo that was on deck and that has spilled onto the seabed was removed. The salvors have opened the hatches. The wreck lies on an angle of approximately 70 degrees on its port side in about 11 metres of water 140 meters south of the Southern end of the Kings Wharf in Suva.In the past 170 tonnes of heavy fuel oil on board were successfully contained and removed.

On Nov 10, 2018, salvage works has begun on the "Southern Phoenix" which sank in the Suva Harbour on May 6, 2017. The Pacific Towing Papua New Guinea Limited, PNG’s leading marine salvage contractor, began work on the ship after a lapse of more than a year. In an earlier presentation made to the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Social Affairs in May this year, the chief executive officer for Fiji Ports Corporation, Vajira Piyasena said that it would cost $1.2 million to get the "Southern Phoenix" out of Suva.

Wreck to be removed in 2018
The Maritime Safety Authority has revealed that the "Southern Phoenix" was expected to be removed from the South Harbour of Suva Port early in 2018. The wreck remained under the Authority’s surveillance to ensure any spills from the ship were being dealt with. The MSA, FPCL and the owners had a meeting to ensure that the tender is awarded and work will start sometime in January on the extraction of the ship from its side to be scuttled at sea. Absorption pad have circled the wreck as a precaution since it sunk on May 6. The ballast tanks on the ship reportedly had a crack with the crew being unable to patch it which led to the sinking.

06-May 2017 The 88 meter long, 4285 dwt cargo vessel Southern Phoenix capsized and sank in Suva Harbor, Fiji. The Southern Phoenix was berthed loading containers when it suffered water ingress. The crew attempted to stop the inflow, but the flooding could not be contained. The cargo vessel began to list to its port side as it continued to fill with water. Eventually the crew decided there was nothing they could do and evacuated the vessel. The mooring lines were cut loose and a tug pulled the Southern Phoenix away from the berth.The Southern Phoenix capsized and sank just a short distance away from the pier. Multiple containers broke free and spilled into the water. Several floated and were secured with ropes. Authorities deployed booms around the partially sunken Southern Phoenix to contain any pollution released. No reports of injuries.