Article

Incident in Port Tampa Bay, harbor pilot guides to safety


by WFLA - published on 9 September 2024 1276 -

Article & photos by WFLA

A cargo ship lost power while approaching the dock at the Port of Tampa Thursday. Officials said quick thinking by harbor pilots and tug boats got it under control.

Cargo ship Tyndall came to Tampa from Mobile, Alabama. The power went out at about 9 a.m. No damage was reported.

Tampa Harbor Pilot Captain Ken Sears knows the port like the back of his hand.
Capt. Pilot Kenneth Sears
Capt. Pilot Kenneth Sears
Capt. Pilot Kenneth Sears
Capt. Pilot Kenneth Sears
“I’m passionate about, and I’m very fortunate that I get to do it every day, something that I enjoy very much,” Sears said.

Sears was on board the Tyndall for the transfer, so he directed the crew. He said the important part of approaching the dock is controlling the speed. At the time, it was down to a knot and a half.

“I could see the RPM indicator showing me that the engine wasn’t working,” Sears said. “And we’re now approaching the dock. We’re still doing about a knot and a half, and I had to change plans quickly. I was able to use the tug and the ship’s bow thruster to start angling away from the dock. So as the ship gradually slowed down, going past its final mark.”

There were cranes, the dock, and another ship in the Tyndall’s path.

“If we weren’t able to slow it down and get the angle corrected, that’s what we were, I would have been heading for,” Sears said.
Containership TYNDALL
Containership TYNDALL
Containership TYNDALL
Containership TYNDALL
Harbor pilot Brett Baker commends Sears for avoiding a potential disaster.

“[It] could have been pretty terrible, but Ken did a great job,” Baker said.

The Tyndall went under the Skyway Bridge before getting to Tampa. In 1980, a ship hit the bridge, causing it to collapse.

More recently, a cargo ship crashed into the Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland.

Powerless cargo ships have led to fatal and costly wrecks.

But how common is it for these massive ships to lose power?

“It’s, you know, luckily, it’s not very common. But ships lose power. It’s a mechanical system, you know, I’m sure the crew did a great job maintaining it, but accidents happen and systems fail,” Baker said. “The state, you know, licenses us and regulates us to make sure that there’s someone here to prevent these types of potential disasters.”

Baker said had this gone wrong, people’s lives could’ve been endangered as well as the economy, as 45% of the states fuel comes through this bay.

Sears said they are trained for moments like this.

“Only when there’s a disaster are we really reminded of what is at stake, and an event like this morning shows that it can happen and still end all right,” Sears said.

Tampa Port officials said the mechanical failure was reported to the U.S. Coast Guard. They will determine if the ship is safe to depart from the port again.
What's your opinion on this?
Login or register to write comments and join the discussion!
Read more...

Article Improve comfort, safety and maneuvering with Humphree.

published on 24 September 2020

By using Humphree's trim and stabilization system, you will reduce resistance, fuel consumption and environmental impact. It also means that the best possible performance and stability is achieved.

Humphree USA reports that it has won numerous orders this year for its automatic stabilization technology in the North American pilot boat segment, with nine new boats either delivered or under construction for eight different pilot associations.

0

Video Port Tampa Bay Florida Pilot Boat Moves Nicely Down The Seddon Channel On Wed August 24th 2022

published on 25 August 2022

Please Consider Leaving Me A COMMENT, LIKE Or A SUBSCRIPTION. Thanks Very Much For Watching. I Appreciate It!

0

Video Port Tampa Bay Florida Pilot Boat Wizzes On By.

published on 6 October 2022

Please Consider Leaving Me A COMMENT, LIKE Or A SUBSCRIPTION. Thanks Very Much For Watching. I Appreciate It.

0

Article Murphy's law on pilot boarding - Arie Palmers

by Arie Palmers - published on 20 July 2021

"Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

2

Video Pilots in Port of Ceuta, Strait of Gibraltar Boat

published on 24 January 2022

Son los encargados de asegurar el dinamismo en el puerto, de que las embarcaciones fluyan sin generar ningún problema. Velan por la estabilidad tanto de los barcos como de la ciudad. 'En la piel' sube al barco para ponerse en la piel de los prácticos del puerto.

0

Article A journey back in time: films of pilotage from 1940 to 1975 (USA, UK and Germany)

by Frank Diegel - published on 18 May 2020

Let us start a journey back in time. Back to the black and white films of history. The times have changed, but it is good to know what kind of things have changed and where are the roots of pilotage.

0

Video Pilot launches of Port Phillip Heads.

published on 28 May 2024

Three pilot companies operate launches from Queenscliff. They take pilots to and from the shipping that comes through Port Phillip heads to the ports of Melbourne and Geelong.

0

Video Forth Tiger Pilot Boat

published on 24 August 2021

FORTH TIGER (MMSI: 235001096) is a Pilot Vessel and is sailing under the flag of United Kingdom.
Her length overall (LOA) is 18 meters and her width is 4 meters.
Good for Nothing Safety by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org/

0

Article Innovative crew transfer vessel with suspension system by Wallaby Boats

published on 26 April 2021

The innovative and newly set up ship builder Wallaby Boats GmbH (WB), based in Kappeln,
Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, has decided in the investment to build the world’s first crew transfer
vessel/daughter craft (CTV/DC) with a suspension system.

0