SHIP HITS TRICOLOR AGAIN

Sky News ^ | Last Updated: 21:27 UK, Wednesday January 01, 2003 | Sky News

[colette_g]

Tricolor is lying on its side

SHIP HITS TRICOLOR AGAIN

A ship carrying 70,000 tonnes of highly flammable gas oil has crashed into the submerged car transporter which sank in the English Channel.

French coastguards are trying to rescue the crew of The Vicky - which is stuck on top of the the submerged Tricolor.

The Tricolor was carrying 2,862 BMWs, Volvos and Saabs worth an estimated £30m when it sank off the French port of Dunkirk two weeks ago after colliding with the container ship Kariba in thick fog.

The submerged wreck of the Tricolor, which was left lying on its side, was then hit by the Nicola, a 3,000-tonne ship registered in the Dutch Antilles.

Dover Coastguard said it was not yet known if there was any imminent danger of the highly flammable oil on board The Vicky igniting, or whether the ship was sinking.

The spokesman said: "If the Vicky is holed then the French are going to have get the crew off quickly and then deal with any pollution issue later."

[second_half_recovery]

When I first read it I thought it was a French ship called The Vichy.

[Willie Green]

The Vicky, the Tricolor, Kariba and Nicola...

Sounds like they're participating in a nautical version of a moto-cross demolition derby.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Is this the worst series of navigations cock-ups in recent memory or what? The French don't know how to mark the site of a wreck? Even in heavy fog ships shouldn't collide in the first place if they have a radar watch.

[widgysoft]

it's big it's red you can't miss it. unless you've had one too many drinks to celebrate the new year.

[Mo1]

Is this the worst series of navigations cock-ups in recent memory or what?

That is my thinking ..

[dagnabbit]

Maybe they should tie some light buoys to the thing.

[Semper911]

They can't set some bouys around the half-sunk ship so that ship capt'ns would see it on their radar? Or how about some strategically placed C4?

Too bad about all those Beemers, though. What a waste.

[Dog Gone]

What the heck is "gas oil"?

[syriacus]

What nationality are the ships' pilots?

[Semper911]

What the heck is "gas oil"?

I wondered the same thing. And if it is so "highly flammable", why don't they just set a match to it if they are worried about water pollution?

[eastforker]

Gas oil is crude after it has gone through catalytic cracking but not refined into other fuels.It if flammable but not quite as high as gasoline.

[VMI70]

French or Arab would be my guess

[Mark]

This sounds like a job for the "101st Airborne Lawyers" to parachute into the area.

[Experiment 6-2-6]

Somebody sure is regretting being their underwriter, I'll tell ya that...

Meega, Nala Kweesta!

[Dog Gone]

I've never heard of that. I figured once you started the refining process, you finished it.

[Dark Seraph]

Just watch. They'll find some way to pin the blame on the United States.

[eastforker]

Once it goes through the cat cracker it can go to a vacuum still ,atmospheric still or an alky unit where it is refined further.A cat cracker is a prety complicated and expensive unit but a small nation might have one of the other type of refining capabilities and would buy cracked gas oil to refine themselves.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

The Beemers - yes, agreed - big loss. Saabs???? Well...............

[Jhoffa_]

The Tricolor was carrying 2,862 BMWs, Volvos and Saabs worth an estimated £30m when it sank off the French port of Dunkirk...

You scuba?