Approaching harbor is a bad time for a helmsman to fall asleep, or an officer of the watch to be in the head, or drunk, or whatever. In fact, here’s what can happen:
A vessel was due to arrive at a port in Spain at 0800 local time (LT). It would appear that at about 0600 LT the vessel contacted the Pilot Station confirming the ETA and was instructed to contact again some 20 minutes before arrival.
At 07.59 hours LT, and despite the calls from the Traffic Control, the vessel grounded at full speed on the breakwater at the entrance to the port.
A video, taken by surveillance cameras, shows “live” the sequence of the grounding, and needs no comments.
Watch it–and cringe–here. And click here to read what the denizens at Sailing Anarchy had to say about it all (and to read the other crazy accident reports they dug up). Now you know why, when you are sea yourself, you can never assume that a commercial crew sees you or is even on the bridge…
“Heh-heh. That anti-tanker torpedo system I installed really works well…”
The Earthist Chronicles 