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Ship hit Astrolabe Reef, Tauranga


Grinna

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They could pump the fuel off with the Endeavour if it is in NZ

I am pretty sure they did that for the British navy boat that did a similar thing off Lord Howe a few years back.

Surely it would be the first thing you would do to reduce the risk?

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They could pump the fuel off with the Endeavour if it is in NZ

I am pretty sure they did that for the British navy boat that did a similar thing off Lord Howe a few years back.

Surely it would be the first thing you would do to reduce the risk?

 

As it happens Endeavour is in the area, having just left Wellington for Auckland,

 

however the problem with heavy fuel oil is it needs to be heated to make it mobile, the tanks on the ship would be heated, and I'm not sure if Endeavour has any heated tanks in use, pretty sure the navy just burn diesel. It could be a bit like pouring tar onto the tanks and watching it set.

 

Maybe the new Auckland fuel barge? (not sure of capacity though) Rigger might know.....

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Pumping fuel off?

with what into what?

I don't think that there are any barges in NZ that can accomodate that quantity of bunker fuel.

 

Not an expert by any means but there is a huge fuel ship that delivers fuel to the port pretty much every week, as I understand it the fuel would have to be heated before it can be transferred.

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Maybe the new Auckland fuel barge? (not sure of capacity though) Rigger might know.....

 

Awanuia could load it (has the capacity) from what I know but the issue would be securing the vessel, maybe run a line from the stern of the ship to the bunker vessel and use the bunker v/ls azi units to hold a light strain on the line, run hose from the ship to the bunker vessel.

Points:

- fuel cooling to quickly and blocking the hose - length of hose would be 100m+ in the above situation.

- handling the hose, loads / availabilty of hose suitable for this application

- parting the mooring line

- damage to bunker vessel

- insurance issues for the bunker vessel

- parting hose and more oil lost / more pollution

bound to be lots more to consider.......

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Oh darn, the Fuel is starting to really pour out and the oil dispersant doesn't seem to be working on it.

The longer the Ship sits their rocking away and moving with each tide, the more that rock is going to work away at the hole. I guess that even unloading something like that is not going to be good, because a lighter ship is going to be able to move around far easier, only worsening the damage.

I think everyone involved is very fortunate that we have no real weather predicted for out that area for at least a week. Although a ruff outlook for 7 to 8 days out could bring easterly winds with upto 3m swells. But that is too far out to be accurate in my view.

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The ship is well and truely stuck.

I'm pessimistic about the possiblity of successful salvage.

I can't see it moving for some time, if at all.

Given the reef is exposed, there is a huge risk that adverse weather will make the vessel work on the reef and ultimatley break up before it can be otherwise shifted.

I wasn't aware that Awanui had the capacity but the risks that rigger identify make removing the bunkers a tricky and dangerous exercise.

And there is the big "I". Every man and his dog's insurance companies will be sending representatives to tauranga to monitor things. Taurnaga will be crawling with master mariners and salvage experts for the forseeable future.

And when things settle down my profession will crawl over things, prosecutions for ebvironmental damage, MSA prosecuting the master and who ever was on watch at the time of the grounding, there will be general average claims insurance claims for the boat, the cargo, the list is endlesss.

All because some-one cocked up their navigation.

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I think everyone involved is very fortunate that we have no real weather predicted for out that area for at least a week.

 

I would of thought Wheels could have said the above slightly differently.

 

E.G.

 

"I knot planning to go near there in my yacht so they should be OK weather wise for a few days"

 

"It wasn't that calm when I wanted to sail past there . . . "

 

"I left Gisborne and made it without all those salvage experts . . "

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I did wonder about using heavy lift helicopters to move the containers off the bow (to shore or towards the stern of the ship to lift the bow), I thought there were a couple of heavy lift helicopters in NZ used for forestry that would be up for the job.

 

Not sure if it would adjust the trim enough to help anyway, or if it is even an option.

 

The structural issues in the hull might be major and being on the reef is keeping it afloat.

 

I am sure there is heaps to consider and many decision makers to consult, which is a slow process for getting things done unfortunately.

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Speaking to people who know stuff at the RNZYS this afternoon, there aren't any heavy lift choppers in NZ that can pick up a full '40ft container.

They have to come in from offshore and as I understand it from further afield than Australia because they don't have any.

Problems all around i would say.

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I would be surprised if there is a helicoptor that can lift 20tonne, let alone 40tonne, is there???

I have a feeling that rock isn't going to let her go so easily. It is sitting almost above her empty waterline level now. Empty it out and unload all the Fuel and she may not ride much higher than she is now.

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Yep that things is going to be there for a long time, it would have been at full speed when it hit the reef forget about the salvage and try and contain the oil is all that can be done.

Even if they do get it off the reef where do they take it, no shipyards around here would be able to repair it, might become the latest dive spot.

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I would be surprised if there is a helicoptor that can lift 20tonne, let alone 40tonne, is there???

 

The ruskies made one that will lift 20 tons, the Mi-26. Probably not many of those in this end of the world. The closest you would get is a Sikorsky Skycrane but that will only life 9 tons.

 

Surely we have a few kms of oil containment boom that they can put around the thing until they get their sh*t together?

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