Ship runs aground in George Town Harbour
(CNS): Tug boats came to the rescue of Seaboard Venture this weekend when the container ship got stuck on the sand. The Port Authority explained that the ship was executing a manoeuvre to berth stern in, but during the process the vessel drifted too far north and over a shallow bar that is only 14 feet deep and the centre of the ship got stuck. After pumping ballast and receiving assistance from two tugs, the ship was eventually pushed off the shallow bar and was able to berth. Its cargo of over 60 vehicles and 25 containers was unloaded without further incident and the ship departed as planned on Saturday. (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)
Category: Headline News
Why didn’t CITA declare it a private park?Then they could have charged everyone a fee to look at it and it would have been another great addition to the Cayman tourism product … just like the new shipwreck.
Good Job Morons – i wonder just how much damage that did to reefs and sealife. Awesome!
Don’t worry.
I’m sure a FULL and thorough inspection was carried out immedietly after the grounding to ensure no damage was done. (I mean to the marine life)
Otherwise don’t you think SOME indication of the imposed fine would have been mentioned.
LOL
A few years ago didn’t somebody get a huge fine for dropping an ANCHOR on coral.
But then again…this is commerce…and it WAS a Sunday…and….
what a joke
The fact is, This shallow spot is a hazard to Navigation in the George Town Harbour and its existence has been ignored by the Port Authority forever.
Many ships coming in to the George Town Port has be severely damaged by this Rock yet the Port Authority does nothing to remove it. What is the sense of having a Port that claims 25 feet of water depth yet there is a 13 foot depth Rock right in the approach path to the Dock.
Insurance companies have paid out millions in damage repairs because of the existence of this Rock yet the Port Authority continues to act as though it dont exist. We operate the most expensive Port in the world but we certainly dont offer much for the money they charge.
From what I have heard, and perhaps CNS can confirm this…. is that the ship did not infact run aground (although a marine report would help, i.e photos ofdamage etc), but lost power to one of its engines and thus had to be guided into port by 2 tug boats?
What is more astonishing, is that the Captain of the vessel was a "rookie" and had never docked a ship in the port before… as far as I am aware, and again CNS could confirm this… the port has Captains (old Caymanian seafareres) employed to bring in the ships to the dock so that there is less risk of damage happening both to the reef and ship. And the fact that this was a full load being driven by a rookie, who had never docked a ship before, let alone in Cayman, means that a) the very little amount of living coral in that area is dam lucky and b) so is he for not damaging the ship and millions of dollars worth of cargo.
Perhaps protocol needs to be revisited here?
Then again, they probably don’t give a rats A#$ because all the surrounding coral in that area is going to be detroyed when they build the new port / docks for the crusise ships as they will run out far further than where the ship was supposed to have run aground. And that might also explain the reason for no fine being imposed.
11:15
That was the funniest thing I have read all year… I was rolling on the office floor in tears lol…
Thanks!
I hope they didn’t run aground on any live reef!
well… thank goodness we long ago managed to kill off (almost)everything living in this area or this could have been much worse news…
I mean if you worry about all that silly coral and stuff.
Nice photo Dennie.