BBC strikes again

[Mirelle]

BBC report on grounding of NIS flag coaster "Sunna" on Swona

"Oil laden cargo vessel" turns out to be a coaster with 1900 tonnes of ferrosilicon in her hods and

37,000 litres

(shall we say 30 tonnes?)

of fuel in her tanks.

And to think they once ran a thing called The Merchant Navy Programme!

Which was not too bad, either!

Oh, yes, Klyne Tugs late as usual, see adjacent thread...no free running speed...) /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Dyflin]

Sensationalization is what draws in the unclean masses unfortunately.

However, most of the information seems to have come directly from the MCA, including the quantities involved. Perhaps it's the MCA who are really dumbing things down?

http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-newsro...;m=1&y=2007

 

[Mirelle]

Thanks. I'm just wondering if I would fancy the trip from Iceland, at this time of year, in a 29 year old coaster with a dense cargo. I suspect that I would not!

 

[Rowana]

Once spent New Year in Reykjavik

They would'nt ring "Finished With Engines" and we were on "Stand By" all the time we were alongside. If the weather had blown up, we had to be ready to move straight away.

We had sailed from Hamburg if I remember correctly. Up the North Sea, through between Orkney & Shetland and on to Iceland. Roughest trip I was ever on ! ! !

 

[Dyflin]

The update to this story.

Captain fined for Norwegian cargo ship Sunna grounding on the island of Swona
Thursday, 11 January 2007


Yesterday at Kirkwall Sheriff's Court, Captain Pawlus was fined £2500 for not having adequate look out on the Norwegian flag cargo ship 'Sunna' which grounded on the island of Swona in the Pentland Firth at 4.40am on the 2 January.

Sheriff Napier said in his summing up that it is a basic but critical role for seamen to be employed as look out especially in such dangerous waters as the Pentland Firth. Had the Captain used the crew in this role, this unfortunate grounding would not have occurred. The Captain's priority, to keep the ship looking good, was his down fall.

Sheriff Napier continued that he considered this offence to be at the high end of the severity of cases which are brought to the Sheriff's Court. He told Captain Pawlus that he was foolishly misguided to try and impress his owner at the expense of the safety of the ship. He fined him £2500.

The Chief Officer on watch at the time admitted that he had fallen asleep shortly after altering course to transit the Pentland Firth on route to Iceland from Humberside with a cargo of 1900 tonnes of ferrosilicon.

The ship was re-floated as the tide rose the next morning with the help of an Orkney harbour tug and the Longhope Lifeboat, it was towed into Lyness.

An investigation by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) revealed that although the ship only had a crew of seven, the Captain had instructed that the seaman were to be used as day workers and not stand a watch.

The STCW code requires that during the hours of darkness there is a lookout on the bridge with no other duty but to keep a lookout.

 

[Mirelle]

I'm just counting warm bodies, here...

We know we've got a Captain and a Mate.

I reckon we've got an Engineer, and a Cook/Steward.

That leaves three bodies.

I reckon one of those bodies is going to be wanted by the Engineer on daywork, which leaves two bodies for everything else.

Put 'em on watches and you've got no maintenance at all being done, plus an overtime bill that your owners won't care for...

Fine the owners, not the Master...?

 

[Dyflin]

[ QUOTE ]

Fine the owners, not the Master...?

[/ QUOTE ]

Agree 100%.

But the law is currently worded so the owners can wash their hands of the event and all responsibility for safe manning and day to day working of the ship lies squarely on the masters shoulders. But on paper the company has followed all he guidelines...

 

[Bajansailor]

I agree that the Owners / Managers should be held accountable, not the poor Master.

It could also be quite possible that the Safe Manning Document might have a total of say 6 crew, in which case they are over and above the SMD by one warm body, which will leave the Owners feeling very virtuous - and this is Norwegian flagged, ie not a dodgy flag of convenience.
St Vincent would probably just want a Master, Mate, Engineer and AB, and get them all to take turns doing the cooking and washing up...... /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif