Dr.Sal brief here.
gCaptain resident pilots could chip in with their comments.
@Ausmariner stop sulking and enlighten us with your judicious comment
Having often been in Bremerhaven Port, Wilhelmshaven (opposite) and worked with the pilots there and in the Weser, that is a serious fetch and fierce wind broad on the beam - but it does occasionally happen this time of year and all thru the Winter.
With that kind of windage on Mein Schiff 3 there is going to be some serious „‚splaining“from Captain and Pilot about why they decided to get underway from the berth they were at with 40-50 kts wind hard on the beam.
But I suspect we already know.
If the forecast indicated gusts of up to 40 knots, the risk assessment should have considered the possibility of gusts reaching 40 knots or even higher, taking a conservative approach to safety.
We have already seen how wind can have serious consequences, as in the Ever Given container ship incident in the Suez Canal in 2021. Both container ships and cruise ships have large exposed areas above the waterline, making them susceptible to wind forces. A cruise ship’s substantial freeboard and large superstructure can make the effects of wind particularly significant during low-speed manoeuvring in a confined port.
The key question is not simply whether the weather was bad, but whether its potential impact on the vessel’s manoeuvrability was properly assessed and whether all parties were satisfied that it was safe to proceed.
The forecast is a warning; the risk assessment must account for the conditions that may actually be encountered. Bad weather may be the immediate trigger, but the decisions made before departure may hold the key to understanding the root cause.
Very reluctant to comment on this.
Normally I like what Sal does but his video tonight was poor.
Can anyone please tell me how the tide was running at the time of this incident?
It will become relevant please believe me.
What was the actual wind at the time of the incident?
Please it is important.
Is Switzer Rota a Rotor rug?
It is important honestly
Evo is
Was there any machinery failures on the cruise ship?
A lot of folk have commented on the fact that a cruise ship should not have sailed in those weather conditions.
So why was a much less manoeuvrable brick of a container ship preparing to do so
Are these weather conditions just Tuesday for a Bremerhaven dock pilot?
Answer yes.
full disclosure
I went to visit Bremerhaven Dock pilots before I did my first Ultra Large Container Ship. These guys are blooming brilliant.
I will leave it there for tonight but weather conditions like that are Tuesday for any pilot in NW Europe
I’m sorta in the same boat you are, so to speak. Lots of other questions need to be answered first before getting into analysis.
One observation I will make is that it’s always been imparted into me that if you’re going to inevitably be set down into something, strive to take all the way off first. Not only does this give your lateral inputs (tugs, thrusters) a more effective force, but it also greatly minimizes the damage that may occur. I think this incident is a clear example of that (set down gently in a small area of the ship vs sheering off half the lifeboats).
Just another port call on a Tuesday for Hurtigruten:
MS “NordNorge” docks in Bodø. Video: Ingeborg Olsen.
Source: Hurtigruten MS «NordNorge» legger til kai i stormen i Bodø – NRK Nordland
The MV “Nordnorge” has twin pods aft, + 2x Bow thrusters.
PS: They learnt how to do this on the older ships w/single screw and no thrusters, like this one; MV “Nordnorge”, blt. 1964:
NAR10019640220001 NORDNORGE. Photo via hurtigrutemuseet.no.