The collision in Baltimore Harbor that knocked down the Francis Scott Key Bridge started a whole bunch of conspiracy theories due to the fact that most people don't pay attention to the frequency with which stuff goes wrong on the water. So lets counteract that. Two men injured after STS Leeuwin is hit by large container ship at Fremantle Port - ABC News
The 332-meter Maersk Shekou missed its turn coming into port in Freemantle Port, in Perth, Western Australia. (Western Australia is a state of the country.) It hit the Sail Training Ship Leeuwin, taking down its masts, and doing some damage to its superstructure, the stern of Maersk Shekou then collided with the dock, and it also did some damage to the maritime museum.
Two night watch crew members on board the Leeuwin suffered injuries and were taken to hospital.
Click thru to see what the damage looks like, including damage to the Maersk Shekou.
For a look at what Sail Training Ship Leeuwin looked like prior to the collision, you can see WikiMedia. They have a nice photo of the ship underway.
For a detailed look at what happened, see the video Sail Training Ship Leeuwin Struck by Maersk Shekou in the Port of Fremantle, August 30, 2024 from the YouTube channel What is Going on With Shipping? Sal Mercogliano has a minute by minute look at the vessel coming into port, and a comparison with a previous time this particular vessel came into Fremantle Harbour. It is a 17 minute video that covers every aspect of the collision as it was known on 30 August.
It doesn't take much for things to go wrong on the water. Given the size of the ships involved today, that means bad things happen.
What was the Harbour Pilot doing? Out on the fantail having a smoke?
ReplyDeleteIt will be a long time before we hear anything, if we ever do. It was news when it happened, but when the report is published no one will notice, except the lawyers.
DeleteTo be fair, there was good deal of wind coming from the stern - 25 knots or so. If the wind was a little bit off the port quarter, the sail area of a container ship may have contributed to it not being able to make the turn. But then it was coming it a bit hot for those conditions.
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