Article

Incident in Port Tampa Bay, harbor pilot guides to safety


by WFLA - published on 9 September 2024 1446 -

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 Incident on 31 January 2020 : A rope of the pilot ladder breaks. Pilot could still reach the vessel

by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 3 February 2020

Itajai, Brazil. Photo and video

0

Video Ever Forward Pilot Was Distracted When Ship Got Stuck

published on 13 December 2022

The U.S. Coast Guard found the local pilot on the Ever Forward was distracted and the ship’s captain had left eh bridge before the massive cargo ship ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay. News4’s Mark Segraves reports. _______ NBC4 Washington / WRC-TV is the No. 1 broadcast television station and the home of the most-watched local news in Washington, D.C., the country’s seventh largest television market. NBCWashington.com is the market’s most-visited local television station website across all...

0

Article Turkish Chief officer fell into water checking draft, died, Russia

published on 6 February 2022

Chief officer of bulk carrier İNCE EGE fell into water from pilot ladder while trying to read draft marks at Taman port, Russia, Black sea, understood early in the morning Feb 4, at nigh time.

0

Article Miscommunication Leads to Tug Striking Shore Facility, Causes $1.47 Million Damage

published on 4 August 2021

A bulk carrier was departing port with a pilot on the bridge to assist with the undocking and manoeuvre downriver. The operation was also assisted by two conventionally propelled tugs, one forward and one aft.

0

Video TV Interview Maritime Pilot Devan Pulliah

published on 11 July 2020

INTERVIEW ON MARITIME PILOTAGE..OPERATION FILMED WHILST CONDUCTING DOCKING OF OIL TANKER....

0

Video Theory behind Turning dynamics of ships

published on 6 May 2020

"ISSIMS GmbH - Marine Prediction Technology" SAMMON Lecturing Video describing "Theory behind turning dynamics of ships" ------------------------------------------------------------- SAMMON - the IDEAL tool to identify manoeuvring capabilities of a ship - SAMMON - learning the EFFECTIVE way Comment by Gunter Schütze via LinkedIn: "Prof. Benedict a very interesting video by HS Wismar / Maritime Simulation Center Warnemünde ( MSCW) & Innovative Ship Simulation and Maritime Systems GmbH...

0