Outbound in Craighill channel.
Maybe these mega ships are just too big?
At least a it’s a soft bottom there and doesn’t seem to be blocking things.
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Coincidence it is another Evergeen ship? Crew competency to blame?
I’m sure someone will blame ECDIS with no evidence.
First part, likely yes, coincidence. Second part, The Maryland Pilots sure hope so…
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If one is to believe the MarineTraffic track and take it at face value, it doesn’t appear that much of an attempt was made to turn there. The track goes straight to the site of the grounding from about 12-13 Kts down to about 7 as she exits the channel. Very possible it was a steering failure (ie, rudder didn’t respond to a command) but without any supporting facts, impossible to know for sure at this point.
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Two tugs are on station there now. Unless they had really bad luck and found some old wreck, they are stuck in soft mud.
This was my first thought. The MD pilots are too sharp for me to think the pilot screwed up.
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Chances are the ship just went a little wide on turn. Probability of steering gear problem is low.
They are still there and the tugs went home. The weather today for them was perfect, so it isn’t like they couldn’t see the next set of buoys or it was too windy to steer straight.
I’d be more inclined to lean that way if there was any sort of sign that a turn was at least attempted.
Taking the MarineTraffic track at face value (which is not a perfect piece of evidence), it doesn’t look like there was. The ship passed quite close to the #16 buoy still on the same heading (yes, heading) as when they were in the Craighill Angle. Unless the pilot (and rest of the bridge) was really off the ball, I just can’t see blowing that turn that bad.
That being said, stranger things have happened.
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I agree, the fact that the heading doesn’t change is a puzzle and doesn’t fit a simple late or wide turn.
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Still there this morning. Looks like a tug is on the way, they missed the first high tide today.
Signet Warhorse I is in Newport News for some reason, maybe a dead ship tow.
I wonder if it will head up the bay to help as well? It would be the most powerful tug in the immediate area.
Anyone have a link to the AIS data of the grounding? FleetMon doesn’t seem do have it.
Could the reason be as simple as; everybody busy looking at screens (big and small)?
Nobody looking out the windows.
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My video on Ever Forward going aground.
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Here you go. I am going to walk the dogs to the beach and bring my binoculars, I can probably see her from our beach.
(the link zooms in on the area off Gibson Island where she is sitting with no tugs around right now)
Dumb question:
Is there such a think as a barge with a crane that can unload the containers off the ship until she floats again? The mud around here is soft and sticky, she may be really stuck good! (BTDT on a smaller scale more than once)
Another dumb question - where are the cooling water intakes? They may be plugged, thus making them unable to run their main engine and maybe no generators either?
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I’m sure @Heiwa can tell us exactly what happened.
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They simply should have stopped.
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Does anyone know what the ship was drafting? I’m guessing 35-40 foot
