SeaCat collision!

[Marek Gono]

I've just heard on the radio that "fully laden hi-speed ferry Sea Express One collided with tanker Alaskan Rainbow nearby Liverpool around noon today (Sat Feb 3, 2007). No injuries fortunately, ferry managed to return back to the docks though taking water. All passengers and crew disembarked safely and no one was taken to the hospital".

Sea Express 1 is clear, imo 8900012, operated by Steam Packet Co. between Liverpool and Douglas.

However, I cann't find any tanker Alaskan Rainbow, so I'm guessing that media made it wrong and the ship involved in this accident is bulker Alaska Rainbow (GR/Pireas), imo 8500460.

No other info on what has happened to her...
Anyone living nearby with camera at hand and willing to share some pics? ;-

[nimbus]

Bulker was the Alaska Rainbow, Sea Cat berthed OK with help of tugs at the Pier Head terminal. Passengers off but unable to unload vehicles as the vessel is listing badly. Alaska Rainbow has left the Mersey and is anchored off the Bar Racon, so presumably not much damage to her. Sounds like the SeaCat is going to be out of service for a while as MD of Steam Packet says they are looking for a replacement vessel.

View vessels on AIS Liverpool at: http://www.aisliverpool.org.uk/

News story on Manx Radio at:
http://www.manxradio.com/

Cheers
Jon

[Barry Graham]

I wouldn't be surprised to see a feature and maybe photographs of this incident at the next update of the Mersey & Irish Sea Shipping website.

http://www.merseyshipping.co.uk/

Barry

[Dave Graham]

Small picture and news story at...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6327539.stm

Dave

[Dave Graham]

There are now some photos at the Irish Sea Shipping website....

http://www.irishseashipping.com/photofeatures/shipco/iomspco/seone030206/seone030206.htm

Dave

[CedricH]

Hi,

do you think the vessel is lost or can it still be repaired?

Regards
Cedric

[John Luxton]

Irish Sea Shipping SeaCat Collision

Latest news and views are online with pictures from Saturday and Sunday at www.irishseashipping.com.

John H. Luxton
Webmaster

[Michael Martin]

That link should be http://www.irishseashipping.com/

[steer]

She has just this minute been towed away from the Pier head. Don't ask me where to!

[Glenn Towler]

I can't see why she could not be repaired, she is only aluminum.  I understand that Incat have maintanence people in the UK on a frquent basis, so I would imagine that would be on hand to offer advice or to assit with the repairs seeing that they built the vessel.

These Incat vessels are tough, they have had 2 groundings of the Ro-Ro types during their trails down here in Hobart and they have survived.  One of the groundings was Sea Express 1's Sister the Christopher Columbus which was renamed Hoverspeed Great Britan, before it left on its delivery voyage.

[Rob74656]

I'm new here!

I'm from Holland but do keep a special interest in the HSS 1500 vessels (Discovery, voyager and explorer) sailing in the area.
If the seacat can't be repaired, they can buy the stena Discovery, she used to sail here in holland but she's now laid up in Belfast! she's probably a bit to big for the route though

Regards!

[Hoverlloyd]

I was on both of these, the Hoverspeed GB when it ran aground, the Express 1 when launched as Hoverspeed France. Like a car's bodywork, the aluminium hull crumples when run over rock, whereas steel would tear. So it's not that they're tough, but that the materials damage in a different way - believe me, some of the welding on the HGB was the worst I'd seen on a new vessel: one hull stiffener broke away when I stood on it after arrival in UK, & despite the inspector's "OK" written on it, there was no melt at one end & blowholes caused by too much current at the other end. Impressed I was NOT!

[Steffan]

I refer to an earlier comment about why they can not just repair the boat and carry on using it. The Steam Packet Company will now of course be involved in a investigation as to what happened and why there was such an incident that sould never have happened in the first place. Well this investigation takes place the boat is deemed as unfit for use and therefor they would still be waiting now to get the boat back before they can even start thinking about repairing it and bringing it back into service. this costs time and money and due to the fact that the Superseacat 2 MMSI: 235005550 [UK]  was out of service at the time they had no option but to get a new vessel and resume normal service. Besides as far as anyone knows the ship has to pass an inspection to be classed as repairable and hey, it might not even pass that!  :lol: