Ship Happens

The incident where the Mexican tall ship allided with a bridge in NYC, sparked several discussions, on the subject of, "How often does this happen?" One of those discussions was in the comments of my post on that incident.

Well, that kind of thing happens a lot, and Sal Mercogliano has decided, with the help of his subscribers (who send him stories), to share some of the funnier ones with us. I'm sure the people experiencing these things don't think they are funny, but no one died, unless North Korea has decided to execute someone. A couple people are probably going to have to update their résumés and seek new employment. (Don't expect a recommendation after doing that much damage!)

It was the thumbnail image that caught my attention. Well, I subscribe to What's Going on With Shipping?, but the image is striking. Pun intended. The ship went aground at 16 knots, in clear weather, so they will have some issues freeing it. And the crew will have to answer some pointed questions.

This is Sal Mercogliano's video, from his What's Going on With Shipping? YouTube channel, Ship Happens | Containership Almost Hits a House | Ship Launch | River Pilots | Ship Adrift

• The North Koreans managed to destroy one of their own destroyers at launch.
• A "young" river pilot, in training, was on his cellphone and crashed a 15 barge tow into a dike on the Ohio River, doing $13 million in damages.
• Another river pilot on the Mississippi River took a bathroom break, stepped away from the helm, crashed his tow, doing $20 million in damages.
• And then there is the Motor Vessel NCL Salten.

The video is 23 minutes.

And yes, "allided" is a word, one you don't see outside of a nautical context, but still the correct word. (See the link at the top.)