Collision Flinterstar with gas tanker Al Oraiq near Zeebrugge

[Koos Biesheuvel]

At the North Sea off the Belgian coast near Zeebrugge the Dutch freighter Flinterstar with twelve people on board sank after colliding with the gas tanker Al Oraiq.

The twelve crew from the freighter are salvaged from the water, the Dutch Coast Guard reports. According to the security region the ship leaking oil and the oil spill spreading in the North Sea in a north-northeasterly direction.

The collision occurred today around 4.00 am. "It is a big incident, '' said a spokeswoman for the Dutch Coast Guard. The sunken Flinterstar shipping company Flinter from Barendrecht carried no hazardous cargo, according to the security region.

The LNG tanker was damaged, but is not leaking gas or oil. The tanker, sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands, is towed to Zeebrugge.

[Phil English]

Some pictures here:

http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.deutsch/nachrichten/1.2462053

Brgds
Phil

[davidships]

Collision tracks - looks as if they became locked together for a while.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IknycXF_lSI

[Captain Ted]

If one goes pure by the tracks, the tanker changed course to her port side, which she should not have done (unless needed it because fairway and/or draft restriction), and changed back hard to stb when the Flinterstar was too close already on her stb bow to avoid collision.
The Flinterstar made a stb course change and than kept steady until the collision.
The maneuver of last moment to avoid collision by the stand-on vessel as per regulations, she seems not to attempt at all. In this case latest when the tanker turned to the stb she should have done the same
and go into a full circle over stb too.
Will be interesting to hear the findings on this case in a few month.

[PHa]

FLINTERSTAR on shipspotting: http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2334965

AL ORAIQ on shipspotting: http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1861891

Regards Peter

[Bob Scott]

Rumour has it that there was an agreement between the two ships to pass "green to green" (ie wrong-side). So many collisions have been caused by use of the vhf in this way, instead of sticking to the "rules of the road". But one shouldn't speculate until the facts are established.

[Captain Ted]

Well it would not surprise me, heard it too often on the VHF. One of the first things I do when coming to the ship make a safety meeting with my nautical officers and tell them we go strictly by ColReg ,same with new officers.

"No VHF arrangements permitted to adapt the rules"  if hey don,t stick to it, we talk via logbook

Unfortunately it seems that it is already teached in nautical schools , because first time officers almost all doing it. You won,t believe how much ships calling you at 10 plus miles distance and asking : what is our intention

my standard answer is : reach next port,,but with idiots like you out here it might be hard to do so safely.
Then usually they ask again and if you than answer,,we go by ColRegs, then they are seemingly at a loss because no more answer and then often next thing you see they do the wrong thing.

[Bob Scott]

I just love that "standard answer" of yours, Ted

[mooringman]

Both vessels had a pilot on the bridge .

[Captain Ted]

Did I miss it,, how was the visibility ?

[Sinisa Aljinovic]

Video available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqPkVd_VvZY

[mooringman]

As far as i know it was no fog......
Anyway......it was east of Wandelaar Pilot station under radar surveillance.