I suspect “minutes” is hardly enough time for a tug to gain control of a 1000 foot fully loaded cargo ship.
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since it would have taken them minutes to get to the ship, and more minutes get in position. Getting control would have taken a long time. Fruitless, but like dropping the anchor, protocol. The ship was too close to the bridge and going too fast for anything to stop it from hitting.
Have you SEEN a modern tugboat??
These things are QUICK and POWERFUL.
They’ve got a pair of huge diesel engines.
IF there had been any tug within a mile it could’ve been alongside shoving that ship around in as little as 90 seconds, and God only knows what could have come of it.
Those tug Captains — those guys are fekkin ARTISTS.
They know where to shove, when to shove, how hard to shove and get these mammoth ships nosed into and out of places like slipping a letter into a mail slot.
And they don’t need to lash up to the ship to do all of it; much of their pushing is accomplished without a hawser secured.
The Pilot likely knew it was a slim-to-none chance, but he made the call, anyway, in hope against hope.
All water — uh — over the bridge, now, but the Pilot made all the right moves with the situation he was handed. Nothing to condemn there.