Still think it doesn’t really matter whether or not you leave you’re doors open? Watch this video of a CMA CGM container ship wiping out in the Port of Constanta, Romania and see what happens to one of the two assist tugs that gets pinched. This was a tragedy narrowly averted.
There’s no way that tug survived it with a door open; they had to have been buttoned up. Particularly with the engine room door(s), failure to make sure that this watertight integrity is maintained can mean the difference between going home at the end of your hitch or drowning in your bunkroom. Downflood the engine room and you are through, so don’t leave this to chance. If you can’t trust your shipmates to do it, and I’ve been in that situation before, then you must either do it yourself or find another boat to work on.
For further reading please see the post Do You Live In A Barn? Close Your Doors & Stay Afloat!
[...] came to us via Towmasters. We have a video that shows an assist tug getting squeezed or pinched against a pier by a CMA CGM [...]
By: Tug gets the squeeze from container ship | The Maritime on March 16, 2010
at 1:31 am
[...] Com informações de Laurent Gloaguen e Towmasters [...]
By: ACIDENTE | Rebocador escapa de desastre na Romênia « Blog do @lotsemann on March 17, 2010
at 12:54 am
Where was this? Sure looked like a French flag on the unfortunate tug…
By: Robert on March 19, 2010
at 10:36 pm
[...] an open door being the root cause of the tragedy. I’ve also written about it before (here and here) and I’m sure that I’ll be writing about it again (and again) as well. On an individual [...]
By: Watertight Doors: Close Them & Dog Them! « Towmasters: the Master of Towing Vessels Assoc. Forum on May 4, 2010
at 12:28 pm