Suez Canal blocked by container ship 36

[verymadmac]

It might not be an engineering issue that started it, but I bet is going to change a few specifications.
BBC piece here Link



It looks like the bow is hard aground, refloating will be an interesting exercise given the time pressure.



Canal profile is here

https://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/English/About/SuezCanal/Pages/CanalCharacteristics.aspx

 

[hokie66]

Both asleep?

 

[TugboatEng]

Only one in the wheelhouse. The other pilot would be on the far end of the ship with a hand-held GPS. Why the ships don't have a GPS antenna at each end? It can't be cost. The extra pilot is expensive.

 

[Comcokid]

Evergreen Marine, the owner of the stuck Ever Forward, has declared General Average following two unsuccessful attempts to refloat the ship in Chesapeake Bay.

https://gcaptain.com/ever-forward-general-average-declared/

General Average is a maritime law principle requiring that the shipowner and cargo interests proportionately share in the costs associated with rescuing a vessel after a major casualty. When GA is declared, cargo owners are required to contribute to a GA fund before their cargo can be released.

 

[dik]

I had no idea there were that many boats out there.

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-132.2/centery:19.0/zoom:2

and insurance

https://www.britannica.com/topic/insurance/Perils-clause

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Do you feel any better?

-Dik

 

[hokie66]

And yet, you can be on a ship for days without seeing another, except in concentrated areas like the Suez and Panama canals.

 

[dik]

Must be a huge parking lot...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Do you feel any better?

-Dik

 

[spsalso]

Do pilots have insurance? LOTS of insurance?

'Cause, if I was on a jury, I'd be lookin' at the pilot: "And what is YOUR job, exactly?"

I would be quite sympathetic to: "I misjudged the turn, and I'm sorry."

But the boat went straight. Didn't it?

Big problem.


spsalso

 

[dik]

I understand that at the Suez, the pilots are mandatory and they have no liability... one of the rules of the game...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Do you feel any better?

-Dik

 

[hokie66]

That sounds right. After they climb up the side of the ship, they go straight in to have a free meal.

 

[TugboatEng]

Spalso, I really do believe this was an equipment failure. We've seen pilots blow turns such as the Cosco Busan locally. I don't know if any cases where a pilot has forgotten to turn all together. This is looking like a steering failure to me. A loss of steering is not unheard of. There is a level of redundancy, two isolated hydraulic systems operate the rudder but there is only a single rudder. The rudders do fall off sometimes.

 

[dik]

We'll have to wait to find out... Do boats have a data recorder like aircraft?

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Do you feel any better?

-Dik

 

[TugboatEng]

Yes, we learned this from the recent El Faro incident. Ships have a bridge voice recorder. That was an older vessel and the recorder provided minimum information.

Keep in mind buildings collapse about as frequently as ships have major incidents so ships haven't been required data recorders under the same logic that buildings don't require data recorders.

 

[spsalso]

Equipment failure surely could explain it.

But it's been two and a half weeks. I wonder why that failure, if it happened, has remained unknown and undiscussed. If the rudder fell off, why haven't we heard by now?

Surely the first words out of the first Coast Guard guy to climb onto the boat were "What they hell happened?"

"I dunno." "Beats me." "We'll have to investigate that matter for weeks." "I forget."




spsalso

 

[zeusfaber]

Steering failure can be more subtle than "the rudder fell off". It can be as prosaic as "somebody tripped the breaker that feeds the steering motor at the wrong time", "somebody failed to notice that control had been transferred to a different steering position from the one the QM was standing at" or "The QM put the wheel over without realising the Autopilot was still engaged"

A small virtual prize for anybody who can name the (a) ship concerned in each case.

A.

 

Tech-enhanced human error...who'da thunk it.

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts."

 

[TugboatEng]

I only used the redder fell off example because I know of an instance of that occurring. However, I doubt the grounded ship would have tracked so straight had it lost its rudder. A loss of command of the rudder is much more likely.

 

[zeusfaber]

Tug, Is there any detail on that "rudder fell off" example anywhere? I wouldn't mind having a look at it.

A

 

[TugboatEng]

I vaguely remember a Matson ship losing a rudder but I can't find it in the Incident Investigation Reports.

But, here is an example of a ship nearly losing a rudder.

https://mfame.guru/loss-steering-rudder-flange-bolts-missing/

 

[zeusfaber]

Thanks. That must have been an interesting moment of realisation for quite a few people.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

https://gcaptain.com/bad-bunkers-ships-suffer-blackouts-linked-to-singapore-fuel-suppliers/

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