Posted on 10/07/2015 8:55:00 PM PDT by rockinqsranch
"The U.S. Coast Guard said it called off its nearly weeklong search for the missing mariners of the El Faro at sunset Wednesday."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Loosing power in a storm is a bixxx. That ship also looked awfully topheavy with all those shipping containers stacked.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_El_Faro
I kinda thought everything
was a two-stroke-diesel these days
Makes NO sense!!!
Totally BS, you don’t operate a vessel that size or smaller in New York harbor without a Pilot on board and he is in full control !!!
REALLY, since when???
Top-heavy? Have you ever seen Maersk line’s large containerships???
I hope the last conversation Captain/company/management which normally means the Superintendent has been recorded to learn the REAL truth instead of “speculations” that you see on this thread???
I do believe this is close to the truth.
That is all we can do, pray. RIP Crew.
“That ship also looked awfully topheavy with all those shipping containers stacked.”
More than likely. She wasn’t a celled containership as far as I know. More like a big floating multi level parking lot as she was a RO RO vessel. Those containers on deck would have been fine under normal circumstances, but in such a storm I believe they contributed to the list when some of the lashings broke, and the stacks of locked together containers laid over to the opposite side the waves were approaching, and hitting the vessel. It most definitely would have been a contributing factor.
Yes.
“Top-heavy? Have you ever seen Maersk line’s large containerships???”
Having set down at tables before many a stow chart, and prestowed many a containership with pocket calculator in hand, years before computer programs could do the job I assure you there is a huge difference between RO RO, and celled containerships, and the condition of top heavy.
Entirely different vessels with World’s apart stowage needs.
http://www.maersk.com/en/hardware/fleet/maersk-line/maersk-batam-class/maersk-bulan
Stay on the panorama link and see it carry 3000+ containers stacked high. For other Freepers to see. Top-heavy???
Another interesting link for interests of shipping. Click on button with arrow downward. Impressive:
http://www.maersk.com/en/hardware/fleet/maersk-line
You aren’t aware of the vast quantity of containers under the lids (That would mean below deck, under the hatches, and out of sight to he/she viewing photographs of containerships). In all cases you can double the count you see on deck, and in many cases you can add even more for under deck than you see on deck.
Properly stowed the under deck Cargo Containers aptly compensate for the visible on deck stowage eliminating what you call “top heavy”.
NOT the case with the El Faro a RO RO vessel, NOT a dedicated Containership.
Not BS. Check out the post again, and read “approaches” to NY harbor. When entering NY harbor after crossing the Atlantic, a navigator always refers to the area nearing the destination as the “Approaches.”
I stand by my statement.
I’ve visit many of the Maersk line’s vessel at Port Everglades when I worked at the Seafarer’s Center, but was not aware El Faro was a Ro/RO. Even regular freighters are also loading containers on deck.
Phil Greene, president and CEO of ship owner Tote Services Inc., said the captain had a plan to sail ahead of the hurricane with room to spare.
Greene said the captain, identified earlier this week by his family as Michael Davidson, had conferred with the El Faro’s sister ship - which was returning to Jacksonville along a similar route - and determined the weather was good enough to go forward.
“Regrettably he suffered a mechanical problem with his main propulsion system, which left him in the path of the storm,” Greene said. “We do not know when his engine problems began to occur, nor the reasons for his engine problems.”
Michael Davidson captain of El Faro
Michael Davidson DAVIDSON FAMILY
The last message from the ship came Thursday morning, when the captain reported the El Faro was listing slightly at 15 degrees in strong winds and heavy seas. Some water had entered through a hatch that popped open.
The captain, who has 20 years’ experience on cargo ships, calmly told company officials the crew was removing the water.
The Coast Guard was unable to fly into the ship’s last known position until Sunday, because of the fierce hurricane winds.
Steven Werse, a ship captain with 31 years’ experience on the seas, said merchant vessels have access to up-to-date weather forecasting and technology that allow them to avoid most storms.
If the El Faro had not lost engine power, he added, it would probably still have been powerful enough to make it through Joaquin.
Without power, it was a sitting duck.
I agree with the ship was a sitting duck.
I disagree with the owners shrugging of the shoulders, and pointing the finger at the Captain. Dead men cannot defend their good name. As I’ve posted in other posts I’ve heard from in the line of my work duties Sea Captains with the experience, thus knowledge, and I’ve experienced personally vessel owners abuse of power of those they employ in forcing them to go against their better judgment to satisfy some personal whim of that ship owner.
These ship owners/representatives have been making certain to use terms such as “the captain had a plan”. “regrettably HE suffered a mechanical.....”, “We don’t know when HIS engine...”
The whole thing is heartbreaking, but some responsibility has to be taken by the owners for a forty year old vessel in a major storm.
You mentioned even freighters have on deck containers, but you need to know the first officer, and the Captain made certain of their trim before they set out to cross the ocean. Appropriate ballast can compensate for on deck stow of containers to a degree, but even they should not venture into potential disaster as weather is unpredictable. We saw that with Joaquin.
What kind vessel you worked on, the size and your position. Who docked it and where???
“the captain had a plan”.
In my 25+ years of seagoing experience and Captains I worked with, they ALWAYS have a plan staked out with instructions to the bridge officers before leaving port. And he’s called MASTER because he gives the orders of navigation and in total command of the ship even over the Chief Engineer. With the career experience this Captain had, he’s not going on a suicide mission to satisfy the owner, makes no sense!!!
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