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."

[syriacus]

Google translation:

Collision of the TRICOLOR

"Tricolor" (19) Point of situation 02/01/2003

Wednesday January 1, 2003, the tanker flying Turkish flag "Vicky", on the way towards New York after having installed wearing of Antwerp with on its board a cargo of 66000 tons kerosene, approached the wreck of the "Tricolor" with 19h20 (hour GMT).

A significant device of description of the wreck was however in place at the time of the collision:
- five luminous buoys with which one is equipped with a racon (responder radar),
- the permanent presence of the patrol craft of the national Navy "Flamingo" which, by VHF, informed the tanker of the position of the wreck, of the Franco-British tug boat of intervention "Far Turbot" and of the tug boat "Alphonse Letzer" chartered by the ship-owner of the "Tricolor".

Moreover, each ship (and it was the case for the "Vicky") leaving a Belgian port are seen giving by the pilot of port:
- a text of warning on the existence of the wreck,
- a copy of message NAVTEX announcing the position of the wreck and all its device of beaconing.

Lastly, Maritime the rescue coordination center (M.R.C.C.) from Ostend diffuse an opinion with the navigators concerning the wreck every 30 minutes at one hour.

The "Vicky" succeeded in being gotten afloat without assistance and gaining, accompanied by "Far Turbot", a point of damping in Belgian exclusive economic zone to the position 51°25,4 N - 2°34,88 E It shows a light list.

An overflight of the wreck of the "Tricolor" this day by the helicopter of the national navy based in Touquet made it possible to observe a depression of front the starboard part but without noting pollution. The building of support of area "Dash" remains placed in alarm in Dunkirk with its antipollution equipment.

Taking into account the bad weather conditions, the barge "Asian Hercules II" chartered by the ship-owner of the "Tricolor" will not be able to work today with the pumping of the compartments

[syriacus]

Another ship in 'near miss' with wreck , Tuesday, 17 December, 2002, 13:25 GMT

A fourth vessel nearly became involved in a collision with the sunken freighter Tricolor in the English Channel.

Photographs just released suggest a ship was about 100 metres from hitting the submerged vessel before it was warned to change course by a UK coastguard aircraft shaking its wings.

This latest incident will further fuel claims France mishandled the aftermath of a collision in its waters.

[excerpt]

[colette_g]

That's gotta be the winner :-)

[harpseal]

First I believe the poster was reffering to the original collision that resulted in the sinking of the Tricolor. There is still no excuse for professional sailors to run hit a wreck of known location. There are always local notices to mariners out there and and running into a know obstacle if one has power to avoid it is a big no no. Now if the heavy traffic in the area resulted in no other course of action for the Vicky then I would suggest thatsuch should be logged and the radio traffic seeking to avoid the collisions should also be logged and recorded.

Now a warship perhaps operating under radio silence has some excuses but the USN looks very much askance at skippers who dent their ships in collisions with other vessels or know obstacles.

Naval inquiry needed on these captains.

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[Eva]

I remember, not too long ago, that a Chinese ship sailed the wrong way up the channel because the directions are reversed, like the roads and the crew didn't speak English.

[ffusco]

with clerical suport from the 1st mechanized secretary unit...

[csvset]

Now, if they just keep anyone else from running into the Tricolor, perhaps they can move it out of harm's way.

[knighthawk]

We Dutch are good at lifting stuff from the sea. We have to, half our country is below sea-level!

[max epr]

Can you say GPS?

[Celtic Conservative]

I don't scuba, but once they salvage the wreck I would be very wary about buying "used" BMW'S, saabs and volvos in France for while

Slainte,

CC

[Wil H]

What nationality are the ships' pilots?

They'd have to be French, wouldn't they since it is a French port.

[Jhoffa_]

For the sake of any former British seamen here on FR, I deliberately didn't go there.

(but you couldn't be more right..)

[Jhoffa_]

Well, then I guess they will just have to shoot the messenger.

(Did you see #65?)

[Erasmus]

I note that the direction of travel in the Channel is "right hand", according to the illustration. That is, it follows Continental (and American) road convention, and not British. I suppose skippers are used to various conventions in the shipping lanes around the world and should be able to take them in stride.

Come to think of it, that must be the reason why they don't have car/truck traffic in the Chunnel. Think of the mess in the middle, where the lanes would have to cross. <)B^)

[rolling_stone]

......After his trial Captain Hazelwood became a teacher at a maritime academy. Recently, he's been working as a consultant for a law firm in New York........

Maybe one of his students was at the helm? Then again I wonder who will file the first lawsuit...

[archy]

...the "BSA" tattooed Brits I was diving with would not have appreciated that question!

Likely not, if they were riders of the BSA *Tracker* models with the Yamaha 125 and 175cc engines; nor do the BSA *Bantam* or *Beagle* models inspire particularly fond awe or revererance- just a chuckle or two.

-archy-/-

[archy]

I couldn't think of a funny enough "Hold muh.... "title. Any takers ?

Hold my course sort of comes to mind....

-archy-/-

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Can you say GPS?

Pretty much worthless for uncharted hazards.

Does remind me of a cruise ship which ran aground off Nantucket a few years ago on a clear moonlit summer evening. Apparently the crew put the ship on auto-pilot and were watching television. The GPS cable somehow became disengaged from the piloting gear and the ship ran aground harmlessly about a mile off Nantucket. The local Boston TV stations sent camera crews over by boat. The Greek Captain said, more or less that it wasn't his fault, he was watching TV and the instrument failed. The Boston Chief of Harbor, a Coast Captain, asked to comment, said aids to navigation don't relieve a crew of responsibility. He remarked disgustedly, you can look out a window.

Within 24 hours a Coast Guard party boarded with an American "prize crew" and all the officers were taken off as guest of the Coast Guard for a couple of days and the ship brought in to Boston. All the ships officers had their U.S. tickets lifted within 72 hours and the owner was told he would have to replace them before he could have his boat back.

It was pure luck no one was killed.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

After his trial Captain Hazelwood became a teacher at a maritime academy

New York Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY. He was really a pathetic thing, I remember when he was appealing to get his license reinstated he said, referring to the Sea Captain's Trade, "That's what I do." All I could think was, "Not anymore." No one in his right mind would ever trust him again with a row boat. He ran a 200,000 ton tanker filled with oil less responibily than a 14-year old tows a water skier. What a jerk!

[antaresequity]

the French are going to have get the crew off quickly and then deal with any pollution issue later."

TASTLESS FRENCH CHEAP SHOT ALERT:

Its only considered polution if they aren't returned to French soil.