[oldnell]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2620641.stm

[BruceK]

Quote:

Originally posted by oldnell
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2620641.stm

This really is unbelievable. It's the second ship to run into the Tricolor within last two weeks.

Haven't any of these ships heard of GPS? How difficult can it be to avoid a well-documented football field sized area in the middle of the English Channel?

[AprilWhine]

I guess the Tricolor isn't on the navigation hazard charts yet.

[MINIAC]

Sure glad the Tricolor wasn't sunk when it was transporting my MINI to the US in June

[uua]

That is so stupid I find it hard to believe. Why every captain navigating the channel doesn't have the tricolor plotted into to the GPS beats me. Don't shipping captains plot a sailing plan as aircraft pilots plot a flight course? I'm just astounded.

-uu

[EBMCS03]

Dang... I dont know what to say... at least they didnt sink more cars!

[Grinder]

Quote:

Originally posted by uua
That is so stupid I find it hard to believe. Why every captain navigating the channel doesn't have the tricolor plotted into to the GPS beats me. Don't shipping captains plot a sailing plan as aircraft pilots plot a flight course? I'm just astounded.

-uu

Maybe they get bored and want some adventure...

I guess that's why they're ship captains

[GadgetGav]

Quote:

Originally posted by AprilWhine
I guess the Tricolor isn't on the navigation hazard charts yet.

But it is marked with bouys that are continously transmitting warnings on marine radio and there's supposed to be a tug there 24 hrs a day... (which probably means they *expect* people to run into it..!)
I think the big problem is that it's a few feet under water at high tide and really only visible from the air. Mind you, there can't be a boat captain around who doesn't know it went down, so there's not really much excuse.

I just can't believe they've done nothing to refloat it yet.

[Mini M!]

http://www.germancarfans.com/News.cf...ID=2021231.001

porsche is taking it to the sky..

[BruceK]

You know, just the other day I was wondering what had become of the sunken Tricolor. I was wondering if salvage operations had begun and how the cargo of autos would be removed.

Now I know the Tricolor has become a some sort of a trap for poorly-skilled sea captains.

[eBrit]

Quote:

Originally posted by Grinder
Maybe they get bored and want some adventure...

I guess that's why they're ship captains

Well ...with 70,000 tonnes of Kerosene in your hold and a single skinned hull, the captain of the Vicky must have a keen sense of adventure!!!!

[chiph]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mini M!
http://www.germancarfans.com/News.cf...ID=2021231.001

prosche is taking it to the sky..

Probably why the things cost $90,000

Chip H.

[HarryHBMCC]

Quote:

Originally posted by chiph
Probably why the things cost $90,000

Chip H.

And that's just the freight

Seriously, those of you who received MINIs from the Tricolour should save those invoices! They now have historical value

Harry

[Twostep]

Why is everyone assuming that ship captains have all heard of the Tricolor sinking? Boats sink around the world all the time. Everyone here knows about it because we are all, well, obsessive people, but people in other contries, especially people that spend 90% of their time at sea, probably don't follow things as closely. Of course, the captain should have noticed the bouys and/or the guardship. It really isn't unreasonable to have this sort of thing happen. A surprising number of ships are out there right now with nobody really paying attention.

Twostep

[Jeep-2-mini]

AFAIK navigation hazards (wrecked ships, new buoys, sandbanks etc) are faxed to all ships for incorporation int their charts, however it is up to each captain to update his chart (althogh some of the newer electronic charts do this automatically), and not all of them are that consceiensious. It als relies on somone alert being on the bridge - it is not unknown for merchant ship bridges to be totally unmanned (ships cruse controls are more sophisticated than the MINI's), or the lookout to be distracted at a critical moment. After all if the RN can ram the most surveyed rock in the South Pacific, you can almost excuse a merchantman hitting a wreck.

Mark

PS - on avarage 1 ship sinks a month somewhere in the world.

[Shamster]

I remember when the Tricolor sank they were saying on the news that there was a danger of other ships running into it because of its location. I think they said something like 500 ship movements a day take place in this area which is supposed to be one of the busiest seaways in the world.

So this may not be the last we hear.....

[Twostep]

Quote:

Originally posted by Jeep-2-mini
PS - on avarage 1 ship sinks a month somewhere in the world.

What is the lower bound on your ship size there? Certainly way more than 1 20 foot fishing boat sinks per month.

Granted, a commercial vessel probably wouldn't even notice a 20 foot boat, but still...

Twostep

[Jeep-2-mini]

By ship I think my sorce meant ocean going, thus your 20 foot boat dosent apply

BTW a few years back (6+) I was browsing through MCA accidnt reports, and came across one about a fishingboat that set out, into worsening weather conditions (storm forcast) overladen with a pronounced list. It was never seen again.

The official verdict .... the skiiper (and only crew) was an idiot

Mark

[BruceK]

Quote:

Originally posted by Twostep
Why is everyone assuming that ship captains have all heard of the Tricolor sinking? Boats sink around the world all the time.

Yes. But when a ship sinks in one of the busiest shipping areas in the world, AND it continues to remain a hazard to navigation, it's just a little bit of information that might just be useful to monitor if your chosen profession is sea captain and you will be sailing in that particular area. Professional truck drivers monitor road conditions, professional pilots monitor weather conditions, etc.

Quote:

Originally posted by Twostep
Everyone here knows about it because we are all, well, obsessive people, but people in other contries, especially people that spend 90% of their time at sea, probably don't follow things as closely.

Yes, I think the captains of the Vicky and of the Nicola (both of which ran into the submerged Tricolor) now prove that conclusively.

Quote:

Originally posted by Twostep
Of course, the captain should have noticed the bouys and/or the guardship. It really isn't unreasonable to have this sort of thing happen. A surprising number of ships are out there right now with nobody really paying attention.

There was also yet another near-miss of a collision with the sunken Tricolor on 17 December that didn't receive as much coverage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2582967.stm

With this insight into how poorly ships at sea are guided, it's really a wonder more ships don't collide.

[Tonyt3]

My guess is the captains of the ships that hit it are just sick to the bone of seeing all those beemers in the fast lane (some say BMW-only lane) of British motorways. They wanted to make doubly sure that no-one refloats that boat and recovers those beemers...... Your average non-BMW owning Brit loaths Beemers owners/drivers, as they think they own the road and are more important than other road users.