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Koeketiene

Koeketiene

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This may well warrant an inclusion: http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/regio/westvlaanderen/1.2461921

Link posted for pics - Google translation see below

Off the coast of Zeebrugge a gas tanker and a freighter collided. The freighter sank, the 12 sailors were all saved. There were no hazardous materials aboard the sunken ship, but there is leaking oil into the sea.

"Around 4:15 pm there is some eight kilometers off the coast was a collision between the gas tanker and cargo ship. The cargo ship about 130 meters long with 12 people on board has sunk," said provincial governor Carl Decaluwé. It is about the Dutch ship Flinterstar (pictured below), which had put price to Bilbao. According to company Flinter, the owner of the ship, the ship would not have sunk completely, but rather stand on a sand bank. "The water is wells up to the deck," said Bart Otto Flinter.
Belgian Navy

The coastal rescue occurred en masse into action to track down the 12 crew members of the sunken freighter. At least three Dutch lifeboats, five tugs and a helicopter arrived on the spot. All crew members were rescued now. "That's a strong performance of our coastal rescue, because with such temperatures there is not much time to save people," said Decaluwé. The captain and a sailor were taken to the hospital, the first with hypothermia, the second with a problem on the nose.
Oil Trace length of about one mile

The governor now particularly concerned about the impact on the environment. The ship had or no hazardous materials aboard, but it is leaking oil. It has already established an oil spill along the length of one mile, which spreads in a north-northeast direction. The oil floats so not off the coast and Veiligheidsregio Zealand does not expect that the oil in the short term will end up on the beaches. Yet Decaluwé the fire departments on the coast still prompted to check the beaches by oil.

The 315 meter long gas tanker, the Al-Oraiq sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands, was slightly damaged, but danger of explosion has not been as Decaluwé. A small leak was immediately under control. The tanker has now arrived in Zeebrugge, where gas network operator Fluxys provides assistance to secure the methane tanker.

How the accident could happen is not yet clear. "The ships collided off the fairway, but whatever the cause, should be further clarified." The clash was the shipping traffic on the Scheldt even obstructed, but shipping traffic was lifted between 7 and 8 o'clock.
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864x486.jpg
 
Gosh yes. Best to avoid. One mustn't laugh at misfortune and it good that everyone is safe but there is something Monty Python's Black Knight about the nicity 'She isn't sunk, she is sitting on a sandbank.' and 'are you ok, do you need to go to hospital? Well I have this spot on my nose I might as well since you've brought the lifeboat.' GB Google translations.
 
How do they do it? If that was two yachts colliding then a torrent of criticism would be hurled at them. Big ships with professional crew and full instrumentation - oh dear. Not for the first time in that area.
 
It's interesting to compare the tracks of both vessels on AIS.
Flinterstar appears to do a very abrupt 180, presumably at the point of impact.
 
Gave me a bit of a shock to see that today; I surveyed her at 0130 hours last Tuesday and she was in great condition. Never been so pleased to hear it was a collision.
 
Watching the AIS video is extraordinary, Flinterstar seems to have altered to Starboard correctly, and the other vessel seems to have kept altering to PORT until shortly before the impact when a last minute alteration to Starboard was obviously fruitless.
Any explanation for this behaviour???
 
Leighb said:
Watching the AIS video is extraordinary, Flinterstar seems to have altered to Starboard correctly, and the other vessel seems to have kept altering to PORT until shortly before the impact when a last minute alteration to Starboard was obviously fruitless.
Any explanation for this behaviour???
Click to expand...

It's not as cut and dried as 'he was turning to port (therefore wrong) and he was turning to starboard (therefore right).
Now plot the AIS tracks on a chart and you will see that to starboard of the gas carrier (destination Zeebrugge) is the Wandelaar sand bank.
The gas carrier was constrained by draft.

IMHO it looks like errors were made on both sides. Such as failure to take into account the size (and therefore the actions of the other vessel), no proper look-out, ...
 
Interesting, obviously the shallow water complicates things, but it still seems pretty unbelievable that two ships in clear visibilty can collide in this way. Not the first or I fear the last time however.
 
What puzzles me is why the gas tanker took the more inshore of the two approach channels. Normally deep draught ships take the more offshore deep water route. That would have changed the angle of approach of the two ships and might have cleared up the situation.
On the other hand, there were two pilots aboard the gas tanker and one aboard the freighter, so you may expect them to talk to one another and sort out the pass. On top of that, it all happened under the nose of the traffic control tower on the W pier of Zeebrugge. They might have noticed a situation developing and could have warned the ships.
So far there has been no word about machine or steering failures.
 
Daydream believer said:
Do not gas carriers approaching the channel at Zebrugge have special right of way due to dangerous cargo as well as possible constrained by draft rights?
Click to expand...
Outside the harbour? Not that I know of.
Within the harbour all traffic is stopped as long as the gas tanker is maneuvering.
As an aside, salvors are starting to pump out the fuel in the morning. When that is finished, they will consider how the wreck can be removed.
Apparently the gas tanker put a 7m deep dent into the Flinterstar. I suppose that must be the bulb acting as a battering ram. The wreck is a write off.
 
westhinder said:
Outside the harbour? Not that I know of.
Within the harbour all traffic is stopped as long as the gas tanker is maneuvering.
.
Click to expand...

It would seem a fair bet that as special restrictions are imposed inside that they might have similar local harbour byelaws as much as 5 miles off shore in the approach channel ( or however long the harbour approach fairway is)

I have a feeling that I have read in one of my pilots or charts etc in the long & distant past that this is so but I cannot recall exactly what

If I am correct that would possibly impose restrictions on other vessels with a different slant on the colregs, changing right of way rules etc
 
These are the special regulations I have found in the Port of Zeebrugge byelaws: http://www.poz.be/sites/all/files/141114 Nautische Maatregelen - LNG-vaart - 001 2015 Eng v3.pdf

7.5. Shipping regulations
7.5.1. By VTS-SG
VTS-SG controls and co-ordinates all shipping in the vicinity of the LNG carrier, issuing as standing order a minimum safe distance of at least 2 cables when passing an LNG carrier (overtaking, crossing and sailing in opposite directions).
When issuing the estimated time of arrival at passage points, also the minimum passing distance is reported to shipping traffic (5 cables when boarding/disembarking the pilot and 2 cables when sailing).
En route from S3/S4 to the breakwaters, vessels are only allowed to overtake and / or cross the bow of an LNG carrier if explicit agreements have been made in advance with the LNG carrier as well as with VTS-SG.

7.5.2. By MBZ
As from the passing of the 'Z' buoy', Port Control Zeebrugge co-ordinates all in- and outbound traffic and all shipping traffic in the harbour, maintaining a passing distance of 2 cables from the LNG carrier, until she has rounded the 'LNG' buoy.
7.6. Police patrol
The maritime police will patrol regularly in the vicinity of the LNG carrier and in the fairway in order to ensure that all shipping complies with the traffic control regulation and to verify the coordination of all in- and outbound traffic inside the port. The maritime police also checks if shipping complies with the instructions with regard to traffic control by VTS-SG or by Port Control Zeebrugge inside the port. At the time of the patrol, she will contact the pilot on board of the LNG carrier, and with VTS-SG (channel 04), and with Port Control Zeebrugge (channel 71).
Should any problem arise when no police patrol is present, e.g. non-compliance with the said traffic control regulations, VTS-SG will immediately contact the maritime police (phone 050/55 60 40 or by VHF), who will assess the situation in order to solve the problem.
Furthermore, VTS-SG will ensure that all shipping in its traffic zones is informed about the arrival of the LNG carrier, and her passing times at the various waypoints.

From these I conclude that at the very least the pilots aboard both vessels should have been in contact and should have agreed on the way they were going to pass. Something must have gone horribly wrong.
 
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