[updated:LAST EDITED ON 01-01-03 AT 10:59 PM (GMT)]The Cargo ship, Tricolor has been struck by yet another vessel tonight. The 3rd time so far.
FROM BBC NEWS.
A ship carrying 70,000 tonnes of highly flammable gas oil has struck the submerged car transporter The Tricolor off the Kent coast.
However, The Vicky, which became stuck on the Tricolor in the English Channel at 1930 GMT on Wednesday, has since come free.
The rescue effort is being co-ordinated by French coastguards but Dover coastguards have reported a “strong smell of gas” and the possibility of a hole in the Vicky’s bow.
It is the second ship within a fortnight to hit the Tricolor, which originally sank with its cargo of 3,000 cars after being hit by cargo freighter Kariba on 14 December.
A spokesman from Dover Coastguard told BBC News Online there were 24 crew members on board the Vicky.
She said: “The Vicky has now been moved off the Tricolor, as the tide has risen.
“It is off and is moving towards a position a mile off where it will drop anchor.
“There it will be checked to see if there are any holes.
“The master of the Vicky has informed the French authorities he doesn’t need any assistance.
“So, although there have been reports of a strong smell of gas and a possible hole in bow, this has not been confirmed.”
The French will inspect the Vicky for any possible damage once it is anchored.
Adequate warning
The English Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, adding more pressure to the rescue operation.
The spokesman said the Master of the Vicky believed it was safe to keep the crew on his ship.
The 243 metre-long, 43,000 tonne tanker was sailing from Antwerp in Belgium to New York when it struck the Tricolor.
The Tricolor sank with £30m of luxury cars on board after colliding with cargo freighter Kariba in thick fog.
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By: Saab 2000 - 4th January 2003 at 11:47
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
Yup it does help if you have local knowledge. If you know where the hazard points are and the best routes and ways around the reefs and also have your writs about you then you should be fine.
By: geedee - 3rd January 2003 at 19:08
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
Having looked at and tried to understand the maritime navigation charts for CI’s, beats me how anybody ever gets through without converting to a ‘land yacht’.
It’s one of those things that is helped imesuably if you where brought up on the Islands and have the gift of local knowledge.
However, when I make my millions courtesy of the Lottery and have taken delivery of my Sunseeker Predator 95, I have every intention of spending a long time around the CI’s (wouldn’t mind living there, its a beautifull place) until it gets cold then I’ll motor down to the Med for the rest of the year.
Cheers
Gary
By: Saab 2000 - 3rd January 2003 at 18:58
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 03-01-03 AT 07:01 PM (GMT)]Well Geedee the only term I have ever heard of is “Getting Off The Rock” referring to Islanders leaving the island, however, I think it could be rather appropriate in this case :7
To answer your question about accidents around the C.I. there have been relativley few (touch wood) The last major accident I can remember was the Ivolie Sun sinking between Alderney and France in rough conditions in 2000. There are a few yacht’s that sink every year. Last year two people died when their craft lost it’s anchor and crashed into rocks off Alderney harbour. Then there was the speedboat that somehow managed to get itself wedged in between two rocks some feet from the water off Guernsey.
Then there was the Channiland, the most publicised of all the accidents around the C.I.A hydrofoil carrying passengers from Jersey to Sark and Guernsey hit rocks while trying to take a short cut.
The tidal range of Jersey is one of the greatest in the world (3rd?) after Goose Bay in Canada and some other place.Once you would of been able to walk to France.Guernsey’s is not as great although we do see some quite low tides
The currents are dangerous as well especially with all the reefs around the island, there has been countless accidents. The most notorious of places is the Alderney races.Derived from when ships use to race each other back to the UK.In this area the Channel opens and you do not have the cover of France nor the islands. There are also many rocks around this area and so sometimes the currents and waves are extremely bad around here. Many a time have I been seasick when crossing this area!
By: geedee - 3rd January 2003 at 16:56
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
Saab
Most people have gnomes and goblins (a gnome that eating !)in their rockeries. More power to your rocks (is this termed as ‘getting your rocks off’ ? obviously a nautical term !…or should that be ‘oy, get off my rocks !)
What with the tidal range and conditions you guys have (what is it, 40 feet at Jersey) not to mention the reef’s, I am surprised that more dont flounder and get converted from ships to boats around you.
cheers
Gary
By: Saab 2000 - 3rd January 2003 at 16:43
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 03-01-03 AT 04:45 PM (GMT)]munnst:
Strange as it may seem the cargo ship was carrying water ballast (according to thisisguernsey.com)
Geedee:
“bit bladdy dangerous having rocks on you back door innit ?, some-one could come to grief on them !”
Yes it is dangerous, but I am a peculiar guy who gains much pleasure in the misfortune and anguish of others. Yes, yes, I know, it is rather uncanny, however, placing rocks outside my back door was the only way I could go about satisfying my grotesque pastime }>
Seriously, I mean the rocks of the western coast of Guernsey…I should explain myself more clearly before people come to bizarre conclusions.
Kabir:
The accidents in the Channel are like buses, none come for a while then out of the blue two or more come at once!
By: KabirT - 3rd January 2003 at 16:28
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
Is this the latest craze in UK? Ram your ships everywhere! }>
By: geedee - 3rd January 2003 at 16:17
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
bit bladdy dangerous having rocks on you back door innit ?, some-one could come to grief on them !
cheers
Gary
By: munnst - 3rd January 2003 at 16:04
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
A ship carrying water ballast. Are you sure it wasn’t sinking?
By: Saab 2000 - 3rd January 2003 at 15:54
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
Rather coincidental, I was just talking about vessels being involved in accidents in the Channel then today I wake up to the news that a Dutch ship carrying 200 tonnes of water ballast came ashore on to rocks on my back door.Hahaha,what were the odds?
http://www.guernsey-press.com/weekly_images/300103news1.jpg
By: wysiwyg - 2nd January 2003 at 22:09
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
There is also a glider in its trailer on the Tricolor. It is/was worth about £40,000 and was in the process of being exported from Europe to the USA.
By: keltic - 2nd January 2003 at 19:41
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
PLEASE RESCUE THE LUXURY CARS…..I need a new BMW. Anyway, it´s quite bizarre since there are lots of signal in the area to avoid a new colission. And one more thing. The Aurora….as you know it´s a fancy P&O liner almost crashed in the same area some days ago. Crazy.
By: Bhoy - 2nd January 2003 at 16:19
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
I was on the Herald of Free Enterprise…
about six months before she went down, from Dover to Calais.
By: Geforce - 2nd January 2003 at 15:00
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
The problem in the Channel is that the different national coast-guards are not working together. I know that both the French and Belgian radar operators had warned that Turkish ship, but the French probably thought the Belgians would take actions (and so thought the Belgians about the French).
By: Saab 2000 - 2nd January 2003 at 14:53
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 02-01-03 AT 02:54 PM (GMT)]The conditions in the Channel are extremelty bad at the moment (Force 8/9 locally 10 towards 6pm) and missing the stricken vessel is probably easier said than done.
The Channel is notorious for accidents being one of the busiest shipping channels in the world. The last major accident I can remember was a ship catching fire or in 2000 the Ivolie Sun sinking off Alderney.Having said that,in the southern channel (IOW, Portland, Cherbourg, C.I.) it is fabulous to see all the ships crossing while flying over or when you come across on the Channel ferries, there are countless numbers of ships passing through.
Interestingly, the ship is supposed to be brought up by the same team who salvaged the Estonia and the Herald of Free Enterprise.
By: geedee - 2nd January 2003 at 12:21
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
Personally I blame the guy who painted it orange in the first place !.
I mean, if you are out at sea (some say I am) and see something bright orange, what are you going to do ?…thats right, drive over and have a look !…its a bit like moths to an electric light bulb.
If they painted it a muddy brown it’d never get hit at all !. the attached piccy is of a wreck (top marks for observation there !) just off the Akrotiri peninsula …a few clicks from my house, actually I can see it quite clearly from the bedroom window. My house is on the cliff top just in front of the bridge) and its a muddy brown colour and it hasnt been hit at all and its been here umpteen years…I think the lack of glass in the portholes gives the game away…teehee.
cheers
Gary
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By: Saab 2000 - 2nd January 2003 at 08:55
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
Actually there has been around four other near misses of the Tricolor. Sadly this new ship colliding with the sunken vessel was just unlucky. With the conditions in the channel missing it would of been easier said than done.
By: whalebone - 2nd January 2003 at 01:06
RE: That ship in the Channel has been hit again!
You couldn’t make it up could you,what a farce ! Mind you the Tricolor did sink in the French controlled bit of the Channel in the first place, need we say anymore 😛
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January 1, 2003 at 10:58 pm
