Salvage off Sydney

[j.sabourn]

#8 Think he is referring to the practice of oil tankers when on a berth. Where it Was usually the practice of the port to have a wire hanging from each end of the ship as an emergency wire for tugs to pick up to pull you clear of the berth in event of a fire on board . JS. This other than a wire could be a mooring rope. Every ship carried a proper tow line commonly known as the insurance wire , this would only be used for a properly organised deep sea tow and would take seamen who knew what they were doing to rig , we used to use it also to make a lee for barges when loading sugar off barges in Cuba. JS
For those who have never made a lee for the likes of barges it entailed a lot of beef and heavy work using the tow wire ( insurance wire) usually stowed under the focsle , had to be dragged all the way aft pass through one of the quarter leads and lead all the way back forward and shackled on to the anchor cable you had out.The end passing through the quarter lead would then be turned upon the bitts. To make a lee you would then put the windlass in gear and walk the anchor out further and the wire would pull your stern across the wind and tide to the required angle. After work finished for the day just heave your anchor back to its original position and ship rode naturally to wind and tide. I wouldn’t like to do it today with the reduced.manpower on board . JS

[Graham Shaw]

I,m 60 years on terra firms lol, but i know a man who knows, google, lol


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsJrEpGaft4

Well of course it is Keith-an Emergency Towing System-I knew that ! Just testing you all ! (He says,tongue in cheek and lying through his teeth!)
Cheers for that !

[John Arton]

Sorry folks, but as far as I am aware, SOLAS only requires emergency towing system to be fitted to tankers over a certain tonnage, don't think this ship in question is a tanker but will have an insurance wire, though possibly the crew don't know what that big reel of heavy wire in the focsle store is for.
Regards #11, this emergency towing system on tankers is different from the emergency towing off wires that all tankers of any size, whilst on berth, have hanging over the offshore side forward and aft. These hang over the side in a loop with the eye of the wire lashed with a light lashing to the ships rail and extra lengths flaked out on deck before being turned up on the bitts. The loop is so that in an emergency a tug can come alongside, grab the loop and have the wire drop on its deck and the eye dropped over the towing hook. As the ships freeboard increases or decreases, then that loop has to be maintained at a metre or so above the water by adjusting the amount flaked out on deck.
Rgds
J.A.

[James Curry]

The following link gives a description of the ETS, but as John #13 states it applies to Tankers. It also applies to Gas Carriers and Chemical carriers. The recent events with Container ships perhaps it is time to add them and all ships to the list. Was the decision to install ETS arrangments not introduced after the tanker BRAER incident? On January 6, 1993, the Liberian tanker BRAER ran aground on Garth Ness, a peninsula off the southern tip of the Shetland Islands. At 10.55am two tugs began trying to pull the tanker away from the rocky coastline, but twenty minutes later the Braer with it's 619,300 barrels of oil (about 130,000 tonnes) ran aground and began leaking oil.

https://marinegyaan.com/what-are-sol...-arrangements/

[j.sabourn]

#14.. My interpretation of emergency tow lines precedes a long time before 1993 and was the usual practice of seamen. Maybe the appropriate authority’s saw the sense of it and adopted it permanently as an idea of their own. With of course further adaptions. As regards towing it is not something you learn in 5 minutes as many will have found out the hard way. The small amount compared to professional towmasters I have done has been on purpose built ships and usually from a bridle. On ocean passages one has to be constantly aware of water depths to keep the tow wire off the bottom and still maintain as much control over the tow as possible , plus of course as adjusting constantly the continuous contact between wire and ships steelwork to protect the wire from continuous abrasions in one place all the time. I have a high regard of tugs and their crews . JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

The ship is now being towed into Port Botany, where engine problems will be fixed. The big tug from Newcastle was the saver, while the two smaller ones from Sydney helped. The weather around Sydney has been unprecedented with some of the worst floods in History; and these are the third in as many months.
Des

[Doc Vernon]

Yes Des In Dock now and getting ready for repairs! I am sure all the Crew will be thakfull. Then its back on the High Seas to Home!
Cheers

MV Portland Bay cargo ship finally makes it to shore after three days stranded in waters off Sydney (msn.com)

[James Curry]

Thankfully they have got her now and removed the possiblity of loss of life and pollution. Poor old Sydney is having a hard time with floods all stay safe down there.

[Colin Wood]

I also have no idea what it is, but ship has now been towed into Botany Bay for engine repairs.
Guess there would be a few professional on salvage tugs, as i think one was 'off shore supply vessel'. Wave height of 11 metre reported, but then who ever believes a press report of anything maritime. At least not reported as a tanker this time.