The North Runway of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) was temporarily closed on Thursday (Oct 23) to facilitate the removal of the crashed cargo aircraft from the sea, according to the Airport Authority (AA).
Read more: (Video) Footage shows cargo plane floating in sea after fatal runway crash at HK Airport
The operation has been commissioned to the Guangzhou Salvage Bureau and Chu Kong Passenger Transport Company Limited, and is being coordinated by the AA.
The salvage vessel "Nan Tian Xiang," with a maximum lifting capacity of 350 tonnes, has arrived at the waters adjacent to the airport.
A large number of crew members were observed on the deck evaluating the environment, while others used small boats to approach the wreckage for a detailed inspection.
It is expected that salvage operations will commence after the other salvage vessel, "Nan Tian Peng," arrives in Hong Kong later on Thursday. The vessel has a maximum lifting capacity of 500 tonnes, which is capable of hoisting the entire aircraft.
The two vessels will bring specialist equipment, while a crew of about 80 professionals, including divers, machinists, boatmen, and engineers, will participate in the operation.
Before the operation started, experts deployed by the professional team commissioned by AAHK conducted an underwater sonar survey last night.
The Guangzhou Salvage Bureau has dispatched vessels to assist with multiple salvage operations in Hong Kong in the past.
The heavy-lift crane barge "Hua Tian Long" carried out salvage work to remove the wreck of a Ukrainian oilfield support vessel, which sank east of Brothers Island in March 2008.
The Bureau also sent the "Nan Tian Long" crane to Hong Kong on January 13, 2019, to salvage a sand transport ship that had sunk during Typhoon Mangkhut.
