Should ships carrying loose deck containers be allowed to steam flat out towards a cyclone whilst traveling 7 km offshore from a pristine national park ??? ..The white sands of Moreton Island are black and stinking. The mess (oil spill) is now spreading to the Sunshine coast....You hear about this stuff happening overseas and cringe. When it happens in your own back yard its absolutely sickening..... News- Moreton Island, Bribie Island,and parts of the Sunshine Coast have now been officially declared "disaster areas"......

So they of course bring the ship into brisbane where it is now leaking fuel oil into the Brisbane river......

DUMB, DUMB DUMB,

The company should be put on trial for stupidity!

Its ****ing incredible.
What i'd like to know is who authorised the boat to pull into the harbour and not quarantine the immediate areas with booms.
Pure fkn genius.
Also why the delay in clean up?
There are lots and lots of questions that need to be answered.

I have been trying to volunteer to help with wildlife etc for the past 2 days, there appears to be no coordinated response at all. What has happened to the emergency plan that all ports must maintain on standby at all times ???

Loose containers ????

I don't think so.

Locked and lashed!!!

As a sailboarder you should understand the power of the wind and especially the waves......

surfingboye said...

Hey Richie, check out this thread. It just shows how much us kiters care about the environment, compared to the selfcentered poleys.

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=48751

this is posted on the "general forum" Maybe poleys only read the windsurfing section and teabaggers only read the kiting section ??? Dont take the rivalry so seriously. Its just some we do for a laugh when there's no wind. This oil spill is beyond all that BS.

patsken said...

Loose containers ????

I don't think so.

Locked and lashed!!!

As a sailboarder you should understand the power of the wind and especially the waves......

Are you under the impression that shipping containers rarely fall off ships ???
you must be kidding ????

RichieRich .... I am under the impression you don't actually know what you are talking about -- on this point.

I do actually work in the industry. Containers are locked with "rated" twistlocks to each other and the deck of the ship and then lashed with turnbuckles and rigid rods to the deck. DEFINITELY not loose as you stated.

I HAVE seen vessels arrive in port with mangled and twisted containers (also gaps where they have been smashed overboard) by heavy seas in the Bight.A winter storm -- not a cyclone. So yes they do go overboard, albeit not nearly as many times as I stuff up a gybe and you imply.

I understand the upset an event like this causes and I too am pi__ed off about it but uninformed comments like yours do not help the situation. You obviously live in Queensland and probably enjoy the benefits of a lifestyle built on an economy sustained by exports of mined products and imported boards and sails and X-Boxes. Do they arrive with Santa? - I don't think so. My kids think they do. They actually come by ship. Ships are actually quite necessary I think and a lot less polluting (usually) than trucks and planes.

This tragedy may well be caused by human error and lack of judgment but please stick to facts 'cos an Australian shipping industry is better than a foreign "flag of convenience" shipping industry, which is better than trucks on the road etc etc etc.

The whole system of pollution control seems to have had a meltdown because to have the incident happen in the first place is most likely bad fortune or maybe stupidity but to then pollute the Brissie River has got to be an absolute clusterf_ck of monumental proportions.

It's probably a good time to pressure the government to beef up the pollution response methods while the election is happening and try and protect what is one of Ozzes great coastline regions.

Off my soapbox now.

Good luck.....

patsken said...

RichieRich .... I am under the impression you don't actually know what you are talking about -- on this point.

I do actually work in the industry. Containers are locked with "rated" twistlocks to each other and the deck of the ship and then lashed with turnbuckles and rigid rods to the deck. DEFINITELY not loose as you stated.

I HAVE seen vessels arrive in port with mangled and twisted containers (also gaps where they have been smashed overboard) by heavy seas in the Bight.A winter storm -- not a cyclone. So yes they do go overboard, albeit not nearly as many times as I stuff up a gybe and you imply.

I understand the upset an event like this causes and I too am pi__ed off about it but uninformed comments like yours do not help the situation. You obviously live in Queensland and probably enjoy the benefits of a lifestyle built on an economy sustained by exports of mined products and imported boards and sails and X-Boxes. Do they arrive with Santa? - I don't think so. My kids think they do. They actually come by ship. Ships are actually quite necessary I think and a lot less polluting (usually) than trucks and planes.

This tragedy may well be caused by human error and lack of judgment but please stick to facts 'cos an Australian shipping industry is better than a foreign "flag of convenience" shipping industry, which is better than trucks on the road etc etc etc.

The whole system of pollution control seems to have had a meltdown because to have the incident happen in the first place is most likely bad fortune or maybe stupidity but to then pollute the Brissie River has got to be an absolute clusterf_ck of monumental proportions.

It's probably a good time to pressure the government to beef up the pollution response methods while the election is happening and try and protect what is one of Ozzes great coastline regions.

Off my soapbox now.

Good luck.....

Its true , I am spouting off a bit about this whole incident. I live on a boat so Moreton bay is my backyard.(Thus I take it a bit personally.)
You are obviously very knowedgable on this subject so perhaps you could clarify for me the subject of ship ETAs. If this skipper had pulled his speed back to say, 15 knots for 12 hours and perhaps changed course, would the delay incur "trouble" ie. is there pressure on the captain to be there on time regardless. I've heard some captains knock their ETA back 12 hours to give themselves a safety buffer.Others cant do this ????

mmm I'm worried about pressure from companies on captains to meet ETAs. Especially inexperienced guys worried about their job. Similar to truck drivers but with a much higher potential for disaster. Imagine a ship of this size breaking up on the Great Barrier Reef......The blame game allways seems to happen AFTER the event...when its too late....

GypsyDrifter said...

Frankly Richiefish..
I am lost for words...this is a disaster (to me) as bad..at the bush fires and the floods.

If I could physically help (as I am in WA) I would be down doing my 2cents worth..

I find this disaster...massive..because it is in the water...and to get a handle on the magnitude of what this stuff is going to kill and affect for years to come I can't comprehend (at least I am honest)
My lack of words in this post..may reflect what others feel too!..or maybe not!

Im suprised that no-one has commented on your post-are you kidding? 200 odd people burnt to death? You must be off with the fairies if you think there is any comparison between the two.

Horrible as an oil spill is, it will clean up with time. And yes I work in the maritime industry and have a bit to do with spill response, albeit in the early stages of a response.

patsken said...

Shark--

Nothing is foolproof when there may well have been an idiot in control

no comment on the issue of captains being pressured by "the company" ???
I've seen it happen in the tourist charter industry.