Marine traffic

[Tomahawk]

Tomahawk is only three lengts ahead. If she was on that mooring, she would have been written off.

Yet many people seem to argue that the harbour should be allowed to continue with such dangerous ship handling.

 

[Supine Being]

A close call and more than a little worrying for those that berth with Morgans. According to the commercial page and pilotage guide, the harbour authorities are happy for vessels up to 105m to turn in the gutway (Eems Sea is 99m): https://www.brightlingseaharbour.org/documents/69/SMS_Appendix_D1_Pilotage_Direction_No_3.pdf

I'd suggest they need to take provision of tugs a little more seriously on that evidence. I wouldn't be happy spending the night on my boat in that area of the creek.

 

[Tomahawk]

How does one find out who insures a ship?
It seems the harbour are very blasé about the continued risk.. This is the third near accident in 18 months.. But I suspect the ships insurers would not be so circumspect.

 

[penfold]

@Kukri may know how as he will likely have had professional dealings with underwriters.

 

[Aquaboy]

Granted those second pictures look a little more serious

 

[Kukri]

@Kukri may know how as he will likely have had professional dealings with underwriters.

Speak of the Devil and he will appear!

@Kukri was once an underwriter himself.

Actually, that is not quite right; he was twice an underwriter himself; once in the hull market and once for a P&I Club.

And yes, he has lots of dealings with hull and machinery and war risks underwriters and with P&I Clubs.

Indeed I am renewing some insurances at the moment, as we don’t have a dedicated insurance manager, so the chief cook and bottle washer does it.

I have to add that I am replying with my day job hat on. I don’t like ports being closed down for the greater convenience of yachtspersons who use the sea for fun and to the detriment of people who use the sea to make an honest living.

Also, when I was an underwriter for the first time I insured lots of Dutch coasters from Delfzyl and Groningen, and I liked them a lot.

So I am totally biassed! ?

Here’s what you want to know:

Perfectly nice little ship; good specimen of a proper Dutch coaster.

Looks like she’s owned by her Master, and hasn’t changed hands since she was built.

Nothing wrong with her Port State Control record. Most recently she copped a bollocking in Ireland for not keeping her compass error book up to date and before that she got a bollocking in Dakar for not keeping her oil record book up properly.

The list of trivial deficiencies in the Ukraine just tells us that her owner skipper is as keen on paying baksheesh as the average North Hollander (not very!).


Back in 2013 she was foolish enough to poke her nose into Sacred Cowes, a ferry ride from the Southampton Lubianka, so the MCA threw the book at her and chalked up six deficiencies, for such horrors as having a fridge at the wrong temperature.

None of these are dreadful crimes.

Perfectly nice, well run ship.

If she ever does any damage, you can drop a line to her managers at the address above or to her P&I Club at

First Floor, The Minster Building,
21, Mincing Lane,
London, EC3R 7AG United Kingdom
or phone 020-3320-8888

 

[Kukri]

Pretty certain she's not carrying any mails; it's a bit unseemly to carry that prefix on a glorified barge.

“RMS” = “Rhenus Maritime Services”.

It’s part of the ship’s name, like “Maersk whatever”. RMS are a German company and they own five ships.

The RMS “Queen Mary” (yes, she is a Royal Mail Ship) doesn’t have the “RMS” in her name.

 

[Tomahawk]

Kukri,
It’s not a matter of doing something to assist yachties playing about on boats. Nor am I criticising the masters of the Dacia Hav ot the Eems Sea. I don’t suppose they were happy chappies when it came close to being seriously grounded.

I consider it is a matter of basic operational safety. The harbour are allowing ships to be swung on just a rope without a standby tug. They are using the pilot cutter as a tug without certification for purpose. The Dacia Hav reversed into Cnidery and got her rudder stuck on the bank. It could easily have bent the rudder stock. The tide and wind were swinging her upstream at a rate of knots.. It came far too close to a serious accident to ignore. Remember that everywhere about is a SPA, Ramsar site and SSSI. A marine accident and oil spill is not an acceptable risk.

It seems the harbour are compromised by commercial pressures. The pilotzge and tonnage dues are worth a lot of revenue.

 

[Gargleblaster]

“RMS” = “Rhenus Maritime Services”.

It’s part of the ship’s name, like “Maersk whatever”. RMS are a German company and they own five ships.

The RMS “Queen Mary” (yes, she is a Royal Mail Ship) doesn’t have the “RMS” in her name.

But the RMS St Helena does have RMS as a prefix.
Home - RMS St Helena

 

[Kukri]

But the RMS St Helena does have RMS as a prefix.
Home - RMS St Helena

I don’t think we are disagreeing.



The RMS “St Helena” used it as a prefix as other vessels might use “MV” or “SS” or “MT” or “TT”.It wasn’t part of her name.

 

[Kukri]

Kukri,
It’s not a matter of doing something to assist yachties playing about on boats. Nor am I criticising the masters of the Dacia Hav ot the Eems Sea. I don’t suppose they were happy chappies when it came close to being seriously grounded.

I consider it is a matter of basic operational safety. The harbour are allowing ships to be swung on just a rope without a standby tug. They are using the pilot cutter as a tug without certification for purpose. The Dacia Hav reversed into Cnidery and got her rudder stuck on the bank. It could easily have bent the rudder stock. The tide and wind were swinging her upstream at a rate of knots.. It came far too close to a serious accident to ignore. Remember that everywhere about is a SPA, Ramsar site and SSSI. A marine accident and oil spill is not an acceptable risk.

It seems the harbour are compromised by commercial pressures. The pilotzge and tonnage dues are worth a lot of revenue.

Tomahawk,

Some contributors to this thread were asking for the contact details of the vessels owners and their insurers. I think everyone in Brittlesea knows where the port authority are!?

 

[ex-Gladys]

Surely the incident should have involved MAIB? Or at least CHIRP Maritime?

 

[Kukri]

Surely the incident should have involved MAIB? Or at least CHIRP Maritime?

“There were no wrecks, and nobody drownded
And nothing to laff at at all!”

Just “Coaster turns in creek”.?

 

[Tomahawk]

If I understand you right, no one in official capacity will be bothered until a near miss turns into a serious accident?

 

[PilotWolf]

If I understand you right, no one in official capacity will be bothered until a near miss turns into a serious accident?

I believe anyone can submit a report to CHIRP?

I doubt that the MAIB would be interested in a near miss though.

W.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I believe anyone can submit a report to CHIRP?

I doubt that the MAIB would be interested in a near miss though.

W.

Reporting to CHIRP is the right approach for a near miss. CHIRP will take it up with the harbour authorities and the shipping company, as well as any other relevant bodies. Their reports are something I read on a regular basis!

 

[Cobra]

Now if the pontoons were not there in the first place, the problem would never have arisen!!!

 

[Tomahawk]

The pontoons were granted PP back in 1976.
And besides. Morgans lease use of the sea bed in the area where they have PP for the construction of a marina.
Would you be happy of you were prevented from using your garden because someone wants to turn a HGV around?

 

[Cobra]

Sorry Tomahawk...you and I will never agree on this matter.

Where Morgans yard now sprawls, was in my youth an area that was virtually unspoilt. The old Sail Lofts were still in place and numerous winter mud berths lined the rope walk all the way down to Underwoods Hard where there used to be a couple of old cottages owned by local fishermen. It was an area of absolute peace and tranquility with only the two or three gravel barges heading up to Martins Farm or Ham River gravel workings on the flood tide and returning on the ebb. Everyone managed to get along quite nicely.

Of course back then we were in the very early days of the leisure boating boom and GRP boats were very much the oddity with the majority of boats being traditional in build and design...and Yes, I sail one of these 'orrible pliccy placcy piss pots for the simple reason I don't have the time to spend on maintaining the type of wooden boat I would prefer to own. When I retire I may think differently, but then again so may my wife!!!

The planners, rightly or wrongly could never have foreseen the boom in demand for marina style moorings where you drove to the marina where your boat was parked and you would walk to your boat. That was just not normal practice...you got to your boat by way of a rowing dinghy that was kept in one of the boat parks or if you were lucky you had a space on the hard so the dinghy was always to hand.
I appreciate that things change and Brightlingsea's long held Commercial port status is being whittled away by outsiders wanting to change everything 'for the better'. We have lost our ship yards, the Ham River gravel workings are now worked out, and Martins Farm whilst still operating is now using road haulage rather than barges...although, the jetty is still there and apparently the machinery is all still fully operative according to a mate of mine who used to skipper one of the barges!

The commercial wharf, whether you like it or not still offers employment to a similar number of people who work full time at Morgans...not including the part timers or seasonal staff in this as it is far too much of a variable...and as such should have an equal right to remain and trade without hinderance from leisure boating. I agree the harbour should have a proper tug to assist swinging and controlling the coasters that come into the wharf 'Dracula' is not really man enough for the job!

I think that this charade will go on for quite a while yet...I genuinely feel sorry for the new owners of Morgans, I imagine when they signed on the dotted line they thought everything was to coin a phrase "Oven Ready"...but like the other "Oven Ready" deal spouted about in political circles, this Turkey is still running around!

 

[LONG_KEELER]

Would be nice if some kind of compromise could be found. We need ships to keep channels
clear for play sailors.