Posted on 10/07/2021 1:43:50 AM PDT by blueplum
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A massive cargo ship made a series of unusual movements while anchored in the closest spot to a Southern California oil pipeline that ruptured and sent crude washing up on beaches, according to data collected by a marine navigation service...
...The Associated Press reviewed more than two weeks of data from MarineTraffic, a navigation service that tracks radio signals from transponders that broadcast the locations of ships and large boats every few minutes.
That data shows the Rotterdam Express, a German-flagged ship nearly 1,000 feet (305 meters) long, was assigned to anchorage SF-3, the closest to where the pipeline ruptured off Huntington Beach. The ship made three unusual movements over two days that appear to put it over the pipeline....
...AP first contacted Hapag-Lloyd on Tuesday evening, seeking an explanation for the ship’s movements on Sept. 22 and 23.
Nils Haupt, a spokesman at its headquarters in Hamburg, Germany, denied in an email Wednesday that the ship ever moved off anchor from spot SF-3 during that period. He said the transponder data displayed by MarineTraffic is erroneous.
“We have proof by the logbook, which is updated hourly, that the vessel did not move,” Haupt said. “MarineTraffic in this case is wrong and the position is indeed incorrect.”...
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Rotterdam Express is a medium sized container ship and was anchored about 500 meters from the site of the alleged pipeline break. IMO, it would be a stretch to have a ship properly moored rotating around its placement in relatively calm waters.
In any event, the ship was bordered near SF by the CG. IMO, it does not look like the monitoring authorities believe this ship was the culprit as the distance from the spill was 500 meters. According to owners it had not moved during the time of the spillage. This ship happened to be the closest one to the break and as such was investigated.
All that sounds reasonable IMO.
However that was not the point of my example as a reply to your post.
But I’d be willing to bet that ship tracking GPS systems would include the area (circumference) that 1000’ vessel could encompass. Maybe there are more than 1 location transponders aboard...
Best
I’m no expert on GPS, but it might have trouble determining the location or movement of a football sized ship.
They have location transponders which is tied into GPS.
CC
If the ship was Intent on doing damage, it would’ve been easier, and a lot less conspicuous, to just have scuba divers swim over and attach a small charge to the pipe.
...boom...
It determines the location of the GPS receiver to within one meter. Unless the ship can move while keeping that receiver in the same place, the device will show even slight movement of the ship. It would be interesting to see someone pivot a ship like that around the GPS antenna.
Indeed
He said the transponder data displayed by MarineTraffic is erroneous.
Yeah that’s the ticket
My thoughts exactly, but you'll never see that on C(CP)NN.
Last night on local Los Angeles news, they sounded almost disappointed that there weren’t as many injured birds as they had expected. I think they were hoping to fill their airtime for weeks with oil damage...keeps them from covering the disaster that is Joe Biden. #FJB
Hard to make an electronic tracking system lie, Captain.
Calling ON STAR.......
If it was done intentionally then doing it right there on the left coast was also intentional.
I believe the ship logs are not what you think. They are automatic records produced by the ships navigation system. Not some big book you see in a rented house boat. Like your cars have a navigation system ships navigation know exactly where they are.
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