Maritime News Thread

pawdee wrote: »

Just go around the Cape of Good Hope? Not that much of a hardship surely!

Just 30 days sailing through waters prone to piracy, and fuel stops in the most corrupt ports in the world...

josip wrote: »

From my rural background, my instinct could be to pull it out from the same direction it went in.
But all 3 tugs are on the wrong side for that.
Is that because the tugs are based north of where it grounded and can't get around or would there be other thinking behind what they are trying?

They’re trying the pushy pushy turnie turnie method.

Dohvolle wrote: »

This demonstrates how easily those with ill intent can easily shut down one of the world's major shipping choke points. While the world focused on airport security after 9/11, a ship of this size having even the most minor of incidents in the wrong place, lets say off the UK coast, could shut sown the largest ports in Europe for weeks, and hugely impact european Trade. Just look at the panic since the UK stopped becoming a land bridge? Imagine if all the ships that go to Rotterdam, Hamburg or Antwerp, could no longer use the channel because a ship of this size had dumped its load of containers into the water?
The reliance of the sea lanes as a means of supply is often taken for granted. The ease of which they can be shut down more so.

Interesting point, but it would be interesting to find anywhere else in the world, apart from some sections of the Panama Canal that would have such a big impact.
Your Rotterdam-Channel-container example would be a tiny fraction of the inconvenience of this I think.

• Ships could still make slow way in the Channel.
• Multiple ships could be brought in to remove the containers.
• Ships could be diverted to alternative ports.
• Only Northern Europe would be affected

Even further up the Suez and they might been able to use the spare channel.

It seems to be all tugs that are around it, surely a suction dredge would be available, used for maintenance on the canal? the ship is 16 metres deep, the further out the reach from the Bank the less effective the excavators will be.

Widdensushi wrote: »

It seems to be all tugs that are around it, surely a suction dredge would be available, used for maintenance on the canal? the ship is 16 metres deep, the further out the reach from the Bank the less effective the excavators will be.

There is a suction dredger on its way. In one of the recent satellite shots it looks like a dredger just upstream too.

yiddo59 wrote: »

Irish Ferries to charter Blue Star 1. Extra tonnage on the Cherbourg run?

https://www.niferry.co.uk/irish-ferries-to-charter-greek-ferry-blue-star-1/

Irish Ferries also said today it would add the RoRo passenger ferry Blue Star 1 to its Rosslare to Pembroke Dock route.



https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2021/0326/1206241-irish-ferries-new-route/


Irish Ferries must see some potential here, it seems to go against the common avoid the landbridge mentality by Irish hauliers, The Isle of Innishmore is going to operate a new IF service between Dover and Calais.

https://www.thejournal.ie/ellie-adham-rescue-5393581-Mar2021/?amp=1&utm_source=twitter_short&__twitter_impression=true

Glad to see this hopefully coming to a happy ending. Tough night for the crew.

Looks like the tow line has broken again, no longer under tow.

Widdensushi wrote: »

I think that article is wrong in saying there are windows knocked in on the trawler, a tug was going to tow it and they blew in windows, they returned to port on their own power.

Correct, the tug had the windows knocked in. Sounds treacherous enough now with the crew being airlifted but glad all are safe.

Looking at marine traffic the GB Shaw was doing 19 knots towards castletown 5 hours ago. Wonder have they abandoned the trawler altogether now. It's a dirty night out there.

Unfortunately the boat sank around midday, thankfully no lives lost, a big blow for the crew, owners etc in a very uncertain time for the industry.

Jim Gazebo wrote: »

Very big blow but thankfully all safe. Cheers for the info.

They have had some ordeal, under tow by another fishing vessel but after the tow line broke they had to abandon the tow, a tug that was on the way back from Spain was diverted, they hit a rogue wave that put in their front windows with such a volume of water that it blew out the wheelhouse door at the back, luckily no one hurt and able to return to port with emergency controls, the lifeboat went out to standby the tug. The gb Shaw went to take the boat under tow but with atrocious conditions and a collision had difficulty to get the line across and the lifeboat was sent out to get the line over.
At some stage yesterday it was decided to get the crew off,the boat had taken a bad list, 4 liferafts were lost in attempts to get them off, 1 helicopter failed and eventually a winch woman managed to get aboard with extreme bravery. A big shout out to the rescue services for going above and beyond.

Could they not have diverted one of the three large ocean going Oil Rig/Tug vessels from the Kinsale Gas Platform to tow the Trawler, they are pretty big and well equipped and it would have been no problem to them maybe slow in the conditions but they probably would have saved her they were not very far from the Trawlers position.