Weather on scene reported as 30-40 knot winds and 20-foot seas.
The overall effect of the report is to make it seem that the weather here is unusual. That likely wasnât the writerâs intent, but the layman has no reference to go by and so assumes the weather is somehow to blame for the vesselâs distress, when in fact the defect lies with the vessel. If this vessel canât deal with these conditions it has no business being in the Aleutians.
The reported weather is typical of the area. The weather is fierce in the ways bears are fierce. But since all bears are fierce why mention it? Neither the wind speed or sea height is unusual.
The USCG discourages large ships with propulsion from anchoring in Aleutian ports in storms. But captains of small ships and tugs in the Aleutians routinely anchor out in violent storms, knowing to do otherwise risks a negative outcome. Knowing all the anchorages along the route, and knowing when to run and when to hide, is an experienced Aleutian captainâs stock in trade.
The difference in mind set here makes a difference. Put a captain with a lifetime of experience dealing with violent storms on the El Faro and his first instinct may have been to go to a secure anchorage and let the storm blow over before moving on. Whereas a deep sea captain might be predisposed to deal with the storm on the open sea.
That doesnât make one sort of captain superior to the other. It just goes to show how experience tends to mold us for good or ill.
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I was wondering about that too. The article said the ship wasnât reporting any mechanical failures? I guess this is news because of the 4 crew medivacâed off? +60knt wind & 21-30 ft seas suck but doable for ships that did it before (or do all the time).
If you have ever watched âDeadliest Catchâ, you get the idea that Alaska ALWAYS has 20-30 foot seas and gale force to hurricane force winds. 
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Interesting choice of anchorage, Iâd think broad bay wouldâve been a less bad option
Hereâs the Pan Vivaâs track:
From Marine Executive
My guess is the ship was not fully under control, the track might be a combination of drifting and something else.
Hereâs the latest update from gcaptain
Dear Sirs.
May I ???
Thank You.
I am not sure but should not the article and other articles contain the info Pan Viva is in ballast?
I am not sure if it was heavy ballast with one dedicated hold flooded 100% and under continuous pressure to keep it 100% otherwise in the conditions described one may loose the hatch covers .
Have not been on panmax bulkers but on handysize and having this mass of water in the hold ( which is not a tank) is not a kids play in stormy weather. To pump it out or dump by gravity is not done is seconds. But once U make it then remains a problem of navigating in high seas with very shallow drafts and very high bending moments.
So I would suggest ,the deliberations if she was fit or not fit or is it easy or not to handle in rough sea an mpty panamax in light or heavy ballast, to leave to those who had some practical experience .
She did not report any technical issue . Well USCG will be able to verify it I am sure.
Below are some OâBrienâs advise to masters of all foreign vessels which must be STRICTLY COMPLIED WITH and with her destination the Master surely was informed not only by Owners/managers but by US Agent in GREAT DETAIL about all US requirements what is a standard procedure
US Masters Guide 2024 Rev 0.pdf (524.1 KB)
2021 Alaska Checklist Rev 0.pdf (99.0 KB)
I may be wrong of course but from the moment she reported as per OâBriens guideline everything was under the control of QI with whom the master/owners must maintain uninterrupted coms.
I would wait then for some preliminary report .
Cheers
Sample of USCG severe weather advisory for Alaska :
Navigation Advisory-Severe Weather Guidelines 10222020.pdf (334.9 KB)
My good old stuff for voyage planing through Unimak Pass. :
NTV_Operating_Procedures_Dec2013 Alaska Alternative Planning Criteria for Nontank Vessels.pdf (510.3 KB)
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To me, that track doesnât look like one of a vessel without any mechanical problems. Plus, as others have pointed out, thatâs a terrible spot to anchor for a lot of reasons: exposure, depth, lee shore, etc. Clearly, the pilots were not involved, because they would have put them in Broad Bay. A ship went aground there in Summer Bay a while back while it was in ballast in high winds and found itself uncontrollable with a crazy high bow and not much rudder or prop in the water.
The reports are no mechanical issues. Maybe as you say constrained by prop immersion, windage and limits because of seas.
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30-40 kts sustained wind = Bf Force 8 (âGaleâ; 34â40 knots)
Corresponding significant wave height: 5.5-7.5 m (18-25 ft)
Sea: Edges of crests break into spindrifts.
Source: Beaufort Wind Scale
Just an average day here in NW Norway at this time of the year.
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When I first saw that track I thought it looked like a captain wanting to make headway straight into the wind to get close under the lee of land, but unable to buck straight into the waves. So, he tries this heading and that, to avoid pitching, and keep the prop in the seas as much as possible.
Looks like he had several things go wrong, if they were flying off crew members. A bad day. I sympathize.
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I still would prefer to be in such conditions off the coast of Norway then there. 
Do You know why?
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Charter hired some ocean routing company. Who just gave the standard ocean routing company advice. To Go North of the Aleutians.
October?
Capt did not have the wit and wisdom to to question this cunning plan.
Suprise suprise, The weather turned to shit.
For most ships its just an annoyance, bad weather equals reduced speed and delays.
Some times seas on deck and damaged cargo.
Or every so often something goes wrong. Trying to fix it, in rough seas of a lee shore.
Meanwhile the Capt who left just after this one told Ocean routes to get stuffed turned and did a rhumb line. Had no issues and got there first.
If a minor engine problem occurred they just stopped for an hour or two and fixed it.
Exposing the real reason charterers hire ocean routes, The routing company get access to weather reports the ship sends and and it will expose fudged daily reports if the Capt. and Chief try to cover up a few hours off hire.
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He got lucky. Not all do.
Hill Harmony - Which way now.pdf (424.4 KB)
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No, Please enlighten us.
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Us??
There is only one Dr.Bugge here and I suspect very difficult to clone.
Because in Norwegian waters I would not hear : " WHAT!!!.. those bloody, dumb FOC foreigners did it again??? "
or " next poor slob " .
One looses confidence at such a dictum. But must say here is the best place to errich hugely my âredneckâ vocabulary.
What the Nowegians think is another matter though .
Cheers.
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From the article linked in the OP:
Sunday Update: The Pan Viva remains at anchor and stable. The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies remained in contact with the vessel overnight. Weather on scene reported as 30-40 knot winds and 20-foot seas.
This was the original, earlier report.
Weather on scene was reported as winds of up to 58 knots and seas reaching 29 feet. The Coast Guard said the vessel has managed to anchor and maintain stability, however, the intense weather initially raised concerns about the ship running aground.
I remember once in the 1980s I lost the port main engine after leaving a little place called False Pass, on the easternmost Aleutian Island. I had two options. Head west to Dutch Harbor to repair it. Or head east, south of the Alaskan Peninsula, to Kodiak. Thatâs where the mechanics were.
No tugs in that neck of the woods.
I opted for Kodiak. A little farther away than Dutch, but I would be traveling in the lee of the peninsula, rather than across the blow hole of Unimak Pass etc. There were islands to the south to protect us also if the wind changed to that direction. And there were lots of bays, fjords really, to hide in if things got bad.
There was a high in the Bering Sea, making a northerly wind blowing across the Peninsula. Perfect, I thought. You travel a mile off the land at some points on that route, right in the lee of volcanoes and capes. No big seas.
Everything was fine until we passed the first bay.
If you know the region you know the wind blows strongest out of the bays and passes. Passing the headlands the winds might be 25 knots out of the north. But as soon as you are abeam Volcano Bay or the others, the Venturi effect dials the wind up to 50.
Normally not a problem. Not enough fetch to raise a significant beam sea. And you soon pass the bay and the wind drops. But I had a problem.
Unknown to me, this boat when running on one engine would inexorably swing into the wind once the force reached 30 knots or so. With a 50 knot wind on the port beam the boat was going to slowly turn directly into the wind, even with rudder hard right.
As soon as I came abeam of the first bay to port I found the ship inexorably turning, wanting to head up it. And the geography was such that we would run aground before getting very far along.
The only solution was this: every time we passed one of these fjords and began swinging into the wind I would keep going , the ship swinging slowly to port, until I judged we were a little too close to running aground. Then I would cut the starboard main.
Hove to, the wind would drift us down to the islands to starboard some miles away. When I got too close to those it was full ahead again. Still slowly turning into the wind. But the total effect was to zigzag forward along our track.
These fjords are narrow. After doing this maneuver two or three times weâd be past them, into the lee of the headlands, and underway again normally.
I had to do this all the way to Kodiak. Straight for some miles. Then zigzagging in front of a bay, propulsion on, propulsion off, then straight again. A days run. Scary at first. Then exasperating. Then routine.
So, when I saw the zigzag track of the captain on the Pan Viva I could sympathize.
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End of story. Cleared by USCG.
Cargo Ship âPan Vivaâ Weighs Anchor After Weathering Fierce Alaskan Storm (gcaptain.com)
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