Where is the transfer pump though? Is it, and the associated valves, now under 6’ of water?
I’m not familiar with the layout of this particular ship. Based off of pictures I’ve seen with the stern ramp open I don’t imagine they had a ton of vertical space in the engine room to spread things upwards.
Good point …
Patriot and SLNC require it for their tankers in MMP. Also for the Patriot LMSRs in MMP. Damage control comes as part of the often package-marketed “government vessels” bundle of courses, usually 1 week long.
Good grief, given (according to Sal) a salvage tug is on its way where do you come up with multiple weeks. The ship is in the western Pacific not really that far from plenty of resourses.
Seeing as how it’s already been almost a week since the incident and it’ll take well over a week to tow it in after a salvage tug arrives two weeks is a VERY conservative estimate. It’s actually more likely to be three weeks or more from the flooding until it’s in port.
AMO does not require it. MSC or the companies do
If I had the option of getting the crew safely off a dead ship and on to another one in reasonable weather I’d take it.
Why wait for something else to fail after being under pressure for days, or for weather to deteriorate and then try to leave the ship?
Get while the getting is good and keep everyone uninjured.
Evacuating non-essential crew members made sense at first glance, leaving some officers for damage control and stabilization, if controlling seemed feasible. But as far as I can tell the York only had one enclosed lifeboat? Is that correct? Just the one on the stern? That changes the “stay behind” math in my mind if it leaves me only with a raft as an exit plan.
Looks like they had an FRB as well, though I don’t know how much work that would be to get into after lowering. Rafts would probably the faster option.
SLNC York currently under tow by the Koyo Maru.
You can lower a rescue boat from in the boat.
Not vaunted. As was mentioned, just a lowly former mariner and history teacher.
If Sal’s achieved widespread acclaim and recognition, it’s like Bill Nye “the Science Guy” who’s an engineer by education and media personality by trade. It’s much less from his qualifications as it is the fact that, unlike all the rest of us here in the peanut gallery, he’s got a reasonable understanding of our niche and has actually taken the time and spent the effort to try and explain maritime affairs in an interesting and entertaining fashion to the general public. And that’s worth a lot in and of itself, even if some technical details may be incorrect here or there.
Marine traffic shows several Koyo Maru salvage tugs. One is in port one is/was way out in the Pacific.
The one in port looks like it went into Imazu port, in and out, like it was dropping a tow off.
Nippon Salvage apparently have two salvage tugs named Koyo Maru:
The last Koyo Maru has been out of range for over 7 days:
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:8731973/mmsi:431290000/imo:9966348/vessel:KOYO_MARU
Thing that would concern me about that vessel flooding would be free surface causing a capsize. From her plan the engine room, propeller shaft and all machinery are in one compartment. When it floods all machinery stops. Forward of the engine room are the holds which we can assume are empty and not helping her stability.
Water sloshing back and forth in a swell has tremendous force when it hits one side then the other. When she’s under tow moving forward it can help and if savage equipped the tug may have put portable pumps on her deck. It’s still dangerous work. Best plan no crew on board.
Just to wrap this up as it has fallen off most people’s radar, the SLNC York arrived in Japan a couple of days ago. Its current location can be found on MarineTraffic or similar websites.
Video of her arrival in Japan.
What date did it arrive?
I believe it arrived September 6th or 7th. It has since been towed to Busan as of the 16th.
