Galicia - Storm Bella

[TonyMWeaver]

Storm Bella is causing a lot of issues, it looks like 'Galicia' broke free from Berth 4 in Portsmouth overnight!

Edited December 27, 2020 by TonyMWeaver

[TonyMWeaver]

06:00: - Tugs have pushed 'Galicia' back onto the berth, the vessel will be checked for any possible damage.

[Khaines]

She should be ok.  Unlike when Condor’s Liberation freed herself during stormy weather, didn’t she get holed?

[Gareth]

Most likely problem (if there is one), looking at where she ended up, would be damage to rudders and/or props, if they grounded.

[Gareth]

Have to say, I’m slightly surprised they kept her bow-in on berth 4 through the Xmas break.  Thought they might have brought her round to berth 2.

[Gareth]

Press release from BF:

https://brittanyferriesnewsroom.com/brittany-ferries-galicia-back-alongside/

[jonno]

Stern on may have countered any pivoting due to the shape of the bow.

[TonyMWeaver]

[Gareth]

Hmmm.  Echoes of Pride of Kent spring to mind.

[TonyMWeaver]

Hull Inspection expected today to check for possible underwater damage, RS Divers would be my guess. I think she'll be fine, getting away with a couple of minor scratches perhaps.

[colin]

Hope the bottom was mainly mud. Not too soft with luck, but enough to minimise potential damage.

[daves_pad!]

Oh no, there goes her “no claims bonus” already!   Good to read about the swift actions of the QHM & port authorities.

[5_ShortBlasts]

Would they have run say the port screw astern to help minimise the effects of the wind and those stern lines?  My mate on the ship/s at anchor he crews on have been constantly turning screws whilst at anchor in different wind and tide conditions to keep the stern in preferred aspect to bow/anchor.  Indeed he sad the QM2 often goes astern in a strong Gale to keep the anchor held in same position and no chain snatching. Which went against my limited knowledge as I would have assumed they want less drag on the anchor with wind and engine both pulling in same direction.  But apparently this can help in these circumstances.  

Edited December 27, 2020 by 5_ShortBlasts

[cvabishop]

I suspect the reason is that it is best to keep the pressure directly on the anchor to assist it to dig in. If the pull is off to one side there is a risk of wrenching it out sideways,

[Cabin-boy]

5 minutes ago, cvabishop said:

I suspect the reason is that it is best to keep the pressure directly on the anchor to assist it to dig in. If the pull is off to one side there is a risk of wrenching it out sideways,

But surely it's the weight of the chain that is holding the ship in place and not the hope that the anchor is wedged between two rocks or embedded in the sand etc.

Ed

[David Williams]

And only 3 weeks ago Portsmouth was welcoming a new ferry with a bang

https://brittanyferriesnewsroom.com/portsmouth-welcomes-big-new-ferry-with-a-bang/

They were fortunate, this could have been a lot worse

[cvabishop]

Quote

But surely it's the weight of the chain that is holding the ship in place and not the hope that the anchor is wedged between two rocks or embedded in the sand etc.

In which case you wouldn't need an anchor then!

The anchor and chain work together to absorb loading by the anchored vessel and it's obviously best if the sresses are all in a straight line if possible although  if the ship swings with the tide it all gets a bit more complicated. Quite well explained here:

https://www.pbo.co.uk/seamanship/anchoring-6-tips-for-tricky-situations-21085

 

[Paully]

Thats always assummg that at the time she `popped` hands were at stations both on deck and in the engine room. If not the anchor would have gone down a bit later and as a means of stopping her drifting until the tugs could take control. We`ll have to await the MAIB report for the full details.

Edited December 27, 2020 by Paully

[TonyMWeaver]

RS Divers are currently down performing the hull inspection.

[colin]

1 hour ago, Cabin-boy said:

But surely it's the weight of the chain that is holding the ship in place and not the hope that the anchor is wedged between two rocks or embedded in the sand etc.

Ed

Well, the numpties decide where they want to anchor, put their bow there and let loose .... The experienced choose their location, steam into the prevailing wind or tide past said location, then start to reverse, let the anchor go, and continue slowly astern once the anchor hits bottom, paying the chain out steadily, until, like magic, the vessel pulls on her set anchor with her sitting smack bang where she should be.

Please note - there are multiple complications in the above procedure .....

[colin]

21 minutes ago, TonyMWeaver said:

RS Divers are currently down performing the hull inspection.

Fingers crossed.

[TonyMWeaver]

Re: Anchors - They couldn't use the anchor(s) on Galicia as her Bow Lines will still attached, only her Stern Lines broke free.

[Gareth]

Yes, I’ve been struggling to understand what the relevance of the discussion about anchoring is to Galicia’s incident.

[Cabin-boy]

5 minutes ago, Gareth said:

Yes, I’ve been struggling to understand what the relevance of the discussion about anchoring is to Galicia’s incident.

I think we drifted off topic (but not quite as far as Galicia!) into a parallel discussion. 

However in the original images Tony posted it does look like her bow is further from the linkspan than it would be if the lines were still attached and Tony stated that she 'broke free' suggesting that all the lines snapped. In that case, if she had no power to manoeuvre, then dropping one or both anchors might have been the only option. 

Ed

[Gareth]

25 minutes ago, Cabin-boy said:

However in the original images Tony posted it does look like her bow is further from the linkspan than it would be if the lines were still attached and Tony stated that she 'broke free' suggesting that all the lines snapped. In that case, if she had no power to manoeuvre, then dropping one or both anchors might have been the only option. 

Ed

Well, even if the bow had broken free, dropping the hook would have been next to useless in that sort of confined space.  As Colin says, the chain has to be stretched out a long way for the anchor to work properly.  However, it’s academic because the bow remained attached to the shore.

I suspect the effect you see in Tony’s images are to do with the fact that Galicia’s AIS has not quite been set up correctly.  She always looks off-set when alongside, and I think it’s because the AIS is programmed to think that the receiver is on the port side whereas in fact it’s on the centreline.