BajaNomad - Tugboats work on container ship stuck off Ensenada

Tugboats work on container ship stuck off Ensenada

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BajaNews - 12-28-2005 at 06:30 PM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20051228-9999-7m28...

By Sandra Dibble
December 28, 2005

A container vessel on a trans-Pacific route that ran aground Christmas Day outside Ensenada was expected to continue its journey after tugboats worked yesterday to pull it off a shallow sandy bottom near shore.

The Panama, chartered by the global container transportation company APL, had left Oakland and ran aground as it prepared to enter the city's harbor before continuing on to other stops in Mexico and Asia.

An official with Ensenada's port said the crew apparently failed to follow port rules and seek pilot service before entering the port's access channel.

"The first reports mention that the captain didn't follow those basic rules," said Juan Carlos Ochoa, marketing director for the port of Ensenada. "There's a specific point where the pilots of the port go and take the ship, but they didn't stop at that point."

None of the 25 crew members was injured, Ochoa said, and the vessel did not appear seriously damaged. Officials found no fuel leaks or anything else that might harm the environment.

The vessel is owned by APL's parent company, the Singapore-based NOL group, and is one of six container vessels that follow a route from Oakland to Japan, Taiwan and China. APL schedules a stop in Ensenada each Sunday.

The Panama is carrying 900 containers, Ochoa said. It measures 885 feet and has a draft of 36 feet and weighs 40,000 tons, he said.

Jennifer Bronson, a spokeswoman for APL at the company's Oakland offices, said the containers typically carry electronic components related to the maquiladora industry.

Two 500-horsepower tugboats were sent from the port of Los Angeles and Bronson said the vessel was expected to be freed late yesterday.

"We anticipate the tugs will come and tug it off the sandy bottom and the ship will proceed to Ensenada," he said.

Ochoa, the port official, said the vessel, stranded some 300 feet offshore, became something of a curiosity as residents went to photograph and stare.

"It's like a big whale with boxes," he said.

BajaNews - 12-29-2005 at 10:16 AM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20051229-9999...

An article in yesterday's editions about a container vessel that ran aground Dec. 25 outside the port of Ensenada incorrectly stated that its owner is the Singapore-based NOL group, the parent company of APL, the container transportation company that chartered the vessel. Ownership of the vessel could not be determined.

BajaNomad - 1-2-2006 at 12:57 AM

The ship's still there. The tugboats were unsuccessful. They are bringing in a salvage company headquartered in Florida according to the SD U-T.

This has become a spectacle in Ensenada. Large crowds gathering there. The attached photo was from about 1pm this afternoon (Jan 1 '06). There was a helicopter moving a half-size container off the ship - and it looked like back to the port area.

I would guess they're going to have to remove much of the cargo and/or hope for a VERY high tide.

I also hope that whomever salvages this vessel can help with rescuing the SS Catalina while they're there.

--
Doug

BajaNomad - 1-2-2006 at 12:58 AM

Here's a pic of the SS Catalina from about noontime today (Jan 1 '06).

Ship stuck off Ensenada won't be freed until next week

BajaNews - 1-2-2006 at 02:00 PM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/20051229-1...

Sandra Dibble
December 29, 2005

ENSENADA ? The container ship that has been stuck in the waters off Ensenada since Christmas Day, when it ran aground on its way into port, will not be dislodged until early next week, its owners said Thursday.

The German owners of the APL Panama said that the ship got stuck when it drifted while waiting for a pilot vessel to guide it into the port's access channel.

In a telephone interview Thursday from Bremen, Germany, Jens Meier-Hedde, managing director of Mare Britannicum Schiffahrtsgesellschaft MBH & Co., said that his company expects the vessel will be dislodged early next week. Three tugboats are being brought down from Seattle to assist the three tugboats currently being used to try to free the ship, Meier Hedde said.

"The vessel drifted because of the strong current in the area," Meier-Hedde said. He disavowed an early report from Port of Ensenada officials that the vessel had attempted to enter the port without a pilot. "The master knows very well that he needs a pilot," Meier-Hedde said.

Jose Luis Hernandez, captain of the Ensenada port, said that it is premature to draw conclusions as to what happened because the investigation has yet to be concluded. He said the ship's captain and its Croatian crew remain on the vessel and have not yet been interviewed.

The port's services have not been curtailed as a result of the incident, Hernandez said. He said the grounding of the vessel "was not due to any irregularity of services" on the part of the port.

The ship has attracted curious locals intrigued by the sight of the massive vessel looming just 300 feet off the coast.

--------------------------

For the record
UNION-TRIBUNE

December 30, 2005

This article incorrectly reported that the crew of this container ship was Croatian. In fact, the ship's owners say, the crew is from Myanmar, the captain and his officers are Croatian and the chief engineer is Polish.

The Union-Tribune regrets the error.

Grounded ship draws curious

BajaNews - 1-2-2006 at 02:02 PM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20051231-9999-7m31...

Tugboats are unable to free it; crowds line beach to watch

By Sandra Dibble
December 31, 2005

ENSENADA ? It's a curious sight: a container vessel grounded like a wounded giant, dwarfing the crowds who gawk from a broad swath of beach just south of town.

Since it ran aground Christmas Day, the APL Panama has created a sensation in this laid-back port city. As salvage workers plot ways to float the vessel, and investigators try to understand what happened, the surrounding scene evokes a crowded plaza on a holiday, with vendors selling candy, families sharing picnics, couples holding hands.

They have been gathering by the hundreds alongside the stranded ship. They snap pictures, trade remarks, call out greetings. Or they simply stare at the APL Panama, about 880 feet long, the length of more than 60 adult California gray whales.

"It's like a giant party that you don't need an invitation to," Arcelia Paz, a 20-year-old psychology student from Ensenada, said yesterday. "It's like Mardi Gras."

The ship ran aground shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday as it prepared to enter Ensenada's port. Initial reports from the port suggested the crew tried to enter the access channel without waiting for a pilot to guide them. But the ship's owners, reached by telephone in Bremen, Germany, denied that possibility.

"The vessel was waiting for the pilot boat, and as it looks now, it drifted because of the strong current in that area," said Jens Meier-Hedde, managing director of the company that owns the ship, Mare Britannicum Schiffahrtsgesellschaft. "We are sure that the ship never tried to enter the harbor by itself."

The APL Panama was on a regularly scheduled route, contracted by a global container transportation company, APL, to carry goods across the Pacific. It had left Oakland and was making its first stop in Ensenada. Its regularly scheduled route leads to other Mexican ports, then to stops in Japan, Taiwan and China.

The ship is carrying primarily electronic goods and is about 80 percent full, Meier-Hedde said, and containers are stacked up to six or seven high.

The 25-member crew, which includes a Croatian captain, a Polish chief engineer and staff from Myanmar, suffered no injuries. The hull does not appear to be damaged, and the vessel is upright, but partially sunk into the sand.

Capt. Jos? Luis R?os Hern?ndez, the Ensenada harbor master, had his first interview with the ship's captain yesterday.

"We're following the administrative steps, going by national and international norms," R?os said. He would not discuss details of the discussion, citing the ongoing investigation.

He said the port is not to blame for what happened. He added that the incident has not interrupted port services. "Operations continue as normal, working perfectly."

The ship's owners have contracted the Crowley Maritime Corp., a worldwide salvage company based in Florida, to float the vessel. Three tugboats sent from Los Angeles made several attempts to dislodge it this week. Three more powerful tugs are on their way from Seattle, Meier-Hedde said, and are expected to arrive early next week.

Yesterday, a salvage master arrived from Scotland to oversee operations. "Hopefully, we'll get lucky and she'll come off fast," said David Stirling, standing by the ship. At the earliest, a new attempt to pull the ship won't be made until late next week, he said.

In preparation, workers must first unload the fuel ? and that in itself will be a time-consuming, as it must be heated before it is pumped out, and only a small generator is working on the vessel, Stirling said. Attaching lines to the tugboats also will take time, he said.

The smaller tugs are now working to keep the ship from being carried even farther toward shore by the pounding surf.

"At the moment, we've got the highest tides of the month. From today, they get lower and lower, which makes it more and more difficult," Stirling said. "It's two weeks before it comes up to this level again."

In case the tugs fail, the company is preparing to send additional equipment from Louisiana, Stirling said, but that would take six weeks to arrive.

Judging from this week's interest, the salvage efforts will be closely followed, by schoolchildren and housewives, workers and vendors, even U.S. tourists driving by.

They are hungry to solve the mystery of this ship that missed the harbor and made Ensenada history.

Steve Menzer, 47, of Newbury Park, said he was down for the weekend, driving with with friends when they noticed the ship. "Think of all the people, waiting for their stuff to arrive, they're saying, 'Where's our container, where is it?"

Ana Patricia Ruiz, 11, an Ensenada resident, had a question of her own: "They had their route mapped out, so why did they end up here?"

Container ship stuck on Mexico beach

BajaNews - 1-2-2006 at 02:04 PM

http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/regstate/articles/2134717.ht...

December 30, 2005

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- A private U.S. company was working Thursday to rescue a container ship that has been hung up on a beach off Mexico's northern Pacific Coast since Christmas Day, a Mexican port captain confirmed.

The Antigua and Barbuda-registered barge, bearing the name APL Panama and originating in Oakland, was preparing to enter the Mexican port of Ensenada on Dec. 25 when it became stuck about 1.5 miles south of its destination, port Capt. Jose Luis Rios Hernandez told The Associated Press by telephone.

Mexican officials hired a U.S company specializing in marine salvage operations to rescue the ship, but thus far the company has had no luck, Hernandez said.

The captain added that he believed it might take as long as a month to free the ship's hull and propellers from the sand.

The 850-foot-long ship was carrying about 35,000 tons of cargo, Rios said.

Officials had not determined the cause of the mishap; the captain of the ship had not yet given a statement, he said.

BajaNomad - 1-2-2006 at 03:42 PM

It's definitely as close as it looks, and that is the prop (and I guess rudder). It's basically up on shore. I don't know what keeps it from listing more. They'll need a REALLY high tide to float that unit.

The waves were crashing hard up against the starboard side - which was visible from the highway on the North side of Ensenada.

I noticed that one article says they may not get it off the beach for another month.

Crazy.

:biggrin:

Quote:

Originally posted by grover
Maybe that photo is a little deceiving, but it looks like the container ship is INSANELY close to the shoreline...

...even if they ran aground during one of the highest possible tides. Your shots were taken about 4 hours after high tide/3 hours before low.

The captain really screwed the pooch on that one. Is that the prop/rudder visible under the stern?

"...has a draft of 36 feet...stranded some 300 feet offshore..."

Oh man. :lol:

There won't be another 7'+ tide till the 28th/29th. Tomorrow it goes under 6' for 3 1/2 weeks.

http://www.mobilegeographics.com:81/calendar/month/5540.html

Well; at least we know where Joe Hazelwood is employed now. Fun naval trivia: I worked with his nephew @ FLEASWTRACENPAC when the Valdez grounded.

Stuck Ship Gets Waves Of Stares

BajaNews - 1-4-2006 at 01:50 AM

http://www.10news.com/goodnews/5827677/detail.html

January 3, 2006

ENSENADA, Mexico -- All of sudden, the city of Ensenada has gained a huge tourist attraction -- a container ship that's stuck on the beach.

As you drive into Ensenada, it's hard to miss the ship.

The waves pound it and tug boats try to keep it from drifting any further.

"It's really weird -- I've been to the beach all my life (and have) never seen a boat out on the beach. It's like a city out there," said tourist Mark Flooten.

Up close, the freighter, which is almost 900 feet long, is an impressive site.

The ship ran aground a week ago Sunday.

Its parent company has said the Panama drifted as it waited for a harbor captain to guide it into Ensenada harbor, where it was to pick up electronic equipment bound for the Far East.

Meantime, the ship is creating booming business for people selling everything from corn to candy on the beach.

The longer it sits there, the more business opportunities there will be as more and more people show up to stare at it.

"The more (time) it takes, the tougher it's going to be to get it out, definitely," said ship visitor Emilio Hoyos.

The first step in getting the ship out is to build a temporary road.

The road will be used by trucks that will pump the ship's fuel out, in hopes to make it lighter.

Special tug boats will be brought in from Seattle to pull the freighter away from the surf.

The tug boats from Seattle are expected to be in place by the end of the week.

Once the fuel is unloaded, they'll give it a go.

If it fails to free the ship, other equipment will be brought in from Louisiana, but that will take at least six weeks.

San Diego Company To Help Salvage Beached Ship

BajaNews - 1-6-2006 at 10:48 PM

http://www.10news.com/news/5895759/detail.html

R.E. Staite Working To Salvage 900-Foot Vessel

January 6, 2006

ENSENADA, Mexico -- A group of San Diegans will help salvage a 900-foot freighter that's been stuck on a beach in Ensenada, Mexico, 10News reported.

Crews at R.E. Staite in National City have been working overtime to prepare for the job.

"It's exciting .. knowing you're participating in getting a 900-foot vessel off the beach," said Ray Carpenter, from R.E. Staite Engineering.

The APL Panama grounded itself Christmas Day. Titan, a salvage company out of Florida, called R.E. Staite for help.

"I got a hold of my personnel and said, 'This is going to be a 20-hour a day deal.' Everybody stepped up and here we are," Carpenter said.

According to 10News, Carpenter and his co-workers are used to big jobs. They've done many salvage operations, including the infamous Exxon Valdez.

"We were involved in the ship when it came to Nassco. We were hired by Exxon shipping to cut the steel plates off the bottom -- the same people who worked on those projects are still with me today. We have an expertise right here in San Diego that's unique to California," said Carpetner in 1989.

Carpenter's expert crews are flying materials to Ensenada.

"Helicopters are coming in two to three times a day and ships are coming in picking up cargo .. it's been non-stop," Carpenter told 10News.

All of the equipment will be used to get the Panama off the beach.

This is how it is supposed to work: Three giant pulleys will be attached to the ship and three half-mile-long chains will be anchored to the sea bottom. The pulleys will slowly crank up the chains and if all goes well, the stern of the ship will free itself first, followed by the rest of freighter.

If they can get all the equipment in place, they'll begin the project late next week.

If next week's effort fails, R.E. Staite will probably send one of its cranes to unload the containers off the ship to make the vessel even lighter. At the end of the month they could make another attempt to get the freighter off the beach.

Helicopters, yes

Gypsy Jan - 1-6-2006 at 11:05 PM

I've seen many flyovers of cargo helicopters going back and forth to Ensenada in these last few weeks.

Question: the helicopters take containers south, as well as north. Are they returning empty containers to the stranded vessel?

[Edited on 1-7-2006 by Gypsy Jan]

Sharksbaja - 1-7-2006 at 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
I've seen many flyovers of cargo helicopters going back and forth to Ensenada in these last few weeks.

Question: the helicopters take containers south, as well as north. Are they returning empty containers to the stranded vessel?

[Edited on 1-7-2006 by Gypsy Jan]

Yes Jan they just fly up to Walmarts and dump the crap on the consumer then head back for aonther load of DVD players and other stuff we are unable to make!

Diver - 1-7-2006 at 04:47 AM

They better helicopter all they can because that little bath toy will never get to sea again. I've never seen one thats stuck so bad get pulled out in one piece. Oregon still has part of one still not removed.

turtleandtoad - 1-7-2006 at 09:14 AM

Quote:

I doubt that they are taking empty containers back, but they are probably taking containers full of salvage equipment out to the ship.

BajaNomad - 1-7-2006 at 02:55 PM

One of the concerns mentioned to me by someone fairly knowledgeable about this stuff is the condition of the hull getting pounded by surf all this time.

There's a real possibility the hull may be compromised by the heavy surf.

--
Doug

[Edited on 1-7-2006 by BajaNomad]

Diver - 1-7-2006 at 04:52 PM

Yep, the hull is broadside to the waves and sucked into the bottom. Pulling from offshore may stop the shoreward movement but will not stop the waves and near-shore currents from settling the hull deeper and deeper into the bottom. If there is any solid bottom to stop this downward migration, it will tear the hull apart before the ship can be turned.

That's why they remove the fuel first; then the cargo, then any equipment or superstructure they can cut loose to lessen the weight. The first few loads coming onto the ship will be pumps for the fuel and bilge.When that doesn't work, they will cut the hull apart and try to haul off the parts. It may be there for years or forever....

cargo ship return flights

sylens - 1-7-2006 at 06:00 PM

some of the helicopter trips back here are leaving supplies/material/equipment on the beach also. there is a HUGE black hose (much larger than the one being used to off load the fuel) that was brought in and currently lies semi uncurled on the beach. anyone have any ideas what that might be (for)?

heard the harbor master on a news report state that the captain of the panama had entered this port before...eagerly awaiting results of "thorough investigation" into the cause(s)

update on cargo ship aground in ensenada

sylens - 1-7-2006 at 07:16 PM

according to the ensenada.net site, the current plan is to remove 8,000 tons of ballast and 3,000 tons of fuel, lightening the ship about 2 meters' worth.
on january 14, with a spring high tide of nearly 2 meters, and 6 tugs pulling with 40,000HP, hopes are high that the ship will be refloated.

we are keeping fingers crossed. more and more of the beach is being made inaccessible.

Higher tides, removing weight part of plan to budge stuck ship

BajaNews - 1-8-2006 at 03:17 AM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20060106-9999-7m6s...

By Sandra Dibble
January 6, 2006

ENSENADA ? Salvage crews working to float the APL Panama, an 880-foot container vessel that ran aground last month, are planning their next attempt when bimonthly high tides hit the region around Jan. 14. The first step involves lightening the vessel's load by removing more than 10,000 tons of fuel and water from the ballast, according to a salvage plan presented to Ensenada port authorities by the Crowley Maritime Corp., a worldwide salvage company based in Florida.

Yesterday, workers were assembling sections of flexible pipeline that will be stretched to the ship so that the fuel can be removed. The fuel will be placed inside rubber bladders onshore and then hauled away over land, workers said.

With high tides, a lighter load, six tugboats and two 300-ton pulleys pulling the vessel there is a "good possibility" that the APL Panama can be floated, according to the salvage company's report, said Carlos Manuel Jauregui, the Ensenada port director.

If that effort fails, the next attempt would be at the end of the month, when tides are higher again, according to the salvage plan. A barge and crane would be brought in to remove containers from the vessel, according to the plan.

Ensenada's harbor master, Capt. Jos? Luis R?os Hern?ndez, said yesterday that he had completed his investigation into the incident and has forwarded his report to the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation in Mexico City. An appointed expert will go over the information and issue an opinion, R?os said.

R?os would not discuss his findings, saying the information remains confidential until the opinion is released. R?os said "90 percent of maritime accidents are due to human error," but he would not say whether this was the case, nor who would have made the error.

The APL Panama ran aground at 6:12 p.m. Dec. 25, according to the ship's German owner, Mare Britannicum Schiffahrtsgesellschaft MBH & Co.

Initial reports from the port of Ensenada said the crew had apparently been trying to enter the port without a pilot, but the owners deny this. Managing director Jens Meier-Hedde said the crew had been waiting for a pilot to guide the ship into harbor when strong currents apparently pulled it toward shallow water and it ran aground.

The company has now hired a maritime public relations firm, MTI Network, to handle press inquiries. Mare Britannicum is insured by the P&I Club, said MTI spokesman Mike Hanson.

The beach alongside the vessel, just south of the port of Ensenada, was a flurry of activity yesterday. Salvage workers have set up a staging area, and a powerful helicopter, a Sikorsky Sky Crane, carried equipment from National City, where the marine contractors, R.E. Staite, have been a logistics center for the floating effort.

"For the past week we've been working two shifts, unloading cargo that's been coming in by truck from various points in the United States," said the company's president, Ray Carpenter.

The spectacle has been drawing steady crowds to the Ensenada beach, and yesterday was no exception. Jos? Luis Gonz?lez carried a camera and portable printer, offering photographs of families by the vessel for 30 pesos, less than $3.

APL Panama MAX Service (Mexico Asia Express)

BajaNews - 1-8-2006 at 03:20 AM

http://www.apl.com/service_status/

APL Panama MAX Service (Mexico Asia Express)
(Updated 6 Jan 2006)

Here is a further update on the APL Panama:

- The vessel remains aground off the coast of Ensenada, Mexico.
- Fuel and ballast water will soon be removed to lighten the load before the vessel is refloated
- There is no sign of cargo damage aboard the vessel. Reefers are being powered by generators that have been installed on the ship.
- The effort to re-float the vessel could be made as early as January 13, with the deployment of additional equipment and high lunar tides expected on that date.

The owner of the vessel has advised APL of its intention to declare General Average as a result of this incident. General Average is a legal procedure where the vessel owners, charterers and cargo owners are required to share the cost of "any extraordinary sacrifice or expenditure . . . voluntarily and reasonably made or incurred in time of peril to preserve the ship and cargo." The costs the vessel owners will claim will likely include the salvage and other expenses necessary to refloat and repair the vessel and complete the voyage.

General Average and salvage are addressed in Clauses 15 and 24 of the APL bill of lading. The terms and conditions of the APL bill of lading are available for review on the APL website at http://www.apl.com/help_center/html/bl_terms.html.

We expect that once the vessel owner declares General Average, they will also require the posting of security by cargo owners before permitting delivery of cargo. We understand the salvage company engaged by the vessel owners also will assert a lien against the vessel and its cargo in respect to their salvage costs and compensation and will also require cargo owners to post security. We do not have further details about the security requirements the vessel owners and salvors will impose at this time, but we will keep you apprised as we learn more.

Maritime cargo insurance policies usually provide coverage for salvage and general average claims. Your underwriter has expertise in handling such claims and can also help post security on your behalf. We urge you to contact your insurance underwriter to notify them of the incident the likelihood of General Average declaration and the assertion by the salvage company of a salvage lien.

[Edited on 1-8-2006 by BajaNews]

surfer jim - 1-8-2006 at 09:29 AM

Leave the ship there....many times sandbars develop around stuck ships with the resulting surf breaks where none existed before.....and they block the wind also.... :biggrin:

lizard lips - 1-8-2006 at 04:49 PM

Just went out there again today to run the dog. I think if enough of us Nomads put our resourses together we could make the ship a new Lesiure World for senior citizens if they cant get it back out to sea. Just think, it's close to Costco and the new Wallmart and Home Depot. Just a thought.......

:fire:

Bob H - 1-10-2006 at 02:27 PM

Legalize gambling and turn that sucker in to a nice waterfront casino! :yes:

Bob H - 1-11-2006 at 12:32 PM

The tug boats moved the bow and little bit last night so there is some progress. But, I think they will need the large equipment (huge anchored hydrolic chain pullers) to get this thing back out to sea.

6 tugs move grounded ship a few feet during high tide

BajaNews - 1-12-2006 at 05:06 AM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20060111-9999-7m11...

By Sandra Dibble
January 11, 2006

ENSENADA ? For the first time since the container ship ran aground Christmas Day, its bow budged a few feet yesterday as six tugboats pulled on it with a combined 40,000 horsepower.

Working in predawn darkness, salvage crews from Florida-based Titan Maritime LLC launched their greatest effort yet to float the 880-foot APL Panama, taking advantage of lunar high tides, a lightened load and new equipment brought down from the United States.

The task promises to be arduous.

The vessel has been stuck in sand, parallel to the shore. Yesterday's effort moved the bow 10 degrees toward open water, said Michael Mallin, a London-based attorney working for Titan and its parent company, Crowley Maritime Corp.

Two tugboats broke lines as they pulled.

"Centimeter by centimeter, the principle is that she will be gradually brought about until she heads out to sea," Mallin said.

The vessel, pounded by waves, had been getting increasingly stuck on this broad beach off a residential neighborhood south of the port of Ensenada.

Crews are expected to continue working over the next couple of days during morning high tides.

If the plan fails, salvage workers will consider two other strategies.

Tons of machinery and equipment already have been carried down by helicopter from National City, where the marine contractor R.E. Staite Engineering Inc. has been a U.S. staging area for the operation.

Powerful hydraulic pullers are ready to be sent down, together with a 470-foot anchor chain that weighs more than 39,000 pounds.

Some are skeptical that this week's efforts will succeed.

"What they're trying to do is not easy," said Capt. Jose Luis R?os Hern?ndez, Ensenada's harbor master, pointing to the force of the surf and the growing mounds of sand blocking the hull. "You're talking about 30,000 tons sitting in sand."

The load has been lightened in recent days as more than 2,000 tons of fuel has been removed and taken away by tanker trucks, but an additional 1,000 tons remains in the vessel's fuel tanks, Mallin said.

R?os said government officials are growing increasingly concerned about the strain on the hull and the possibility of a fuel leak. By today, they want all fuel off the vessel, R?os said.

The operation is a delicate balancing act.

With a heavy load on top, crews must be careful about keeping the ship stable, and much of that has been done by filling its ballast tanks with seawater. But to move the ship, some of that water must be quickly expelled to lighten its load.

"If they get rid of all the ballast, the stern would go down too hard," Mallin said.

If the effort is successful, the vessel could be afloat by this weekend. But if it fails, the hydraulic pullers will be flown down to augment the power of the tugboats later this month.

The last resort would involve removing the containers, "but it's not easy discharging the cargo in that surf, and it's something we'd like to avoid if we can," Mallin said.

The APL Panama, carrying more than 900 containers and a 25-member crew ? with a Croatian captain, a Polish chief engineer, and a crew from Myanmar ? ran aground Christmas Day as it prepared to enter Ensenada's harbor.

Initial reports from the port said it appeared the ship ran aground after failing to wait for a pilot to guide it, but the ship's German owner has said the strong currents apparently pulled the vessel off course as it was waiting for the pilot.

An investigator appointed by Mexico's Communications and Transportation Ministry will go over the testimony and evidence and decide what caused the accident.

When he gave his account to port authorities, the captain was extremely upset, R?os said. "Sometimes with the spectacle and all the speculation, we forget that this is a tragedy."

Attempt To Free Stuck Cargo Ship Fails Miserably

BajaNews - 1-12-2006 at 05:08 AM

http://www.kfmb.com/stories/story.34350.html

01-11-06 at 4:59PM

It?s huge, it?s heavy and attracting a wave of stares. It looks like an Oakland container ship stuck off a Mexican beach since Christmas Day won?t be going anywhere anytime soon.

The ship was en route to Asia when strong currents apparently pulled it into shallow waters while entering the Port of Ensenada.

Even when you see it, it?s still hard to believe. The Panama stuck in the sand 100 feet offshore south of Ensenada.

Tourists are now riding on horseback, and the locals look on and laugh.

?You know nobody?s ever seen anything like that,? one man said.

But you can certainly see it now, and will probably have the opportunity for weeks. The 880-foot cargo ship is going nowhere fast.

Salvage crews? first plan ? to have tug-boats pull the ship during astronomical high tides this week ? hasn't worked. Freight helicopters are pulling some of the cargo off, but unloading the more than 900 containers would be extremely dangerous ? and time consuming.

A final plan includes using the tugboats combined with powerful pullers to nudge the ship, but with so much sand building up on the other side, many are skeptical that will work.

The crew of 25 wasn't hurt when the ship hit the sand, and those on board are being ferried off the Panama daily for breaks, but they are way behind schedule. By now the boat was supposed to be well on its way to Asia.

If you're wondering how the Panama got stuck in the first place, there are a couple of different stories circulating. One is the captain became impatient waiting for a guise and tried to do it alone and ended up in the sand. The other is that he was waiting, but strong waves pushed him off course.

Tugboats can't pull cargo ship stuck off Ensenada

BajaNews - 1-14-2006 at 11:26 AM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20060114-9999-1m14...

By Sandra Dibble
January 14, 2006

ENSENADA ? A container ship and its cargo remained stranded in the surf south of the harbor yesterday, despite major efforts by a half-dozen tugboats over the past four days to pull its bow away from shore.

Salvage workers are hoping for greater success next week with powerful hydraulic pulling machines that are being sent from the United States, according to the owners of the 880-foot APL Panama, who were reached by telephone in Bremen, Germany.

"As soon as they are on the scene, we should be able to move the ship," said Jens Meier-Hedde, managing director of Mare Britannicum Schiffahrtsgesellschaft MBH & Co., which owns the ship.

The APL Panama became grounded Dec. 25 as it prepared to enter the port of Ensenada. It was on a regularly scheduled trans-Pacific route that led from Oakland to Mexico, then Japan, Taiwan and China. Pushed by surf and hemmed in by sand, the vessel had become increasingly stuck.

This week, workers from Titan Maritime LLC, a Florida company specializing in marine salvage, made a major push to float the vessel, taking advantage of lunar high tides.

The challenge has been daunting. The vessel, which weighs about 15,000 tons, is carrying nearly 30,000 tons of cargo, Meier-Hedde said.

Seven tugboats pulling at full force yesterday morning ? a combined capacity of more than 40,000 horsepower ? moved the bow a few more yards away from shore, and they are expected to repeat their efforts today.

"The principle is that very slowly, as she rolls, each time she displaces sand, the tugs pull, the ship is moved so it occupies that space," said Michael Mallin, an attorney for Titan and its parent company, Crowley Maritime Corp.

The massive effort that began Tuesday has been partially successful. The bow has moved 20 degrees away from shore, about a fifth of the way that is needed to pull it toward open water, Meier-Hedde said.

The salvage crews hoped that the tugboats would be able to do the job. But hydraulic pullers are being brought down on a special barge that was sent from Seattle. The barge, 400 feet long and 100 feet wide, is at R.E. Staite Engineering marine contractors in National City, where workers have been preparing to send it to Ensenada.

In Ensenada, government officials have followed the salvage efforts closely. The city's commercial port has seen its business rise by 75 percent over the past year, and officials say it has been unaffected by the incident.

Yesterday, a top official from Mexico's Communications and Transportation Ministry, the director of its Merchant Marine division, was expected to arrive in Ensenada. He was to partake in the daily meeting at the Ensenada harbor master's office that includes representatives of the salvage company, the shippers and various government agencies.

Concerned about a possible spill, officials ordered all fuel removed from the APL Panama. Salvage workers complied this week, removing some 3,000 tons, said Ensenada's harbor master, Capt. Jos? Luis Rios Hern?ndez.

----

Photo Gallery (50 photos currently):

http://photos.signonsandiego.com/gallery1.5/beachedship?page...

surfer jim - 1-14-2006 at 07:36 PM

Too bad for those poor CHINESE hidden inside the cargo container that planned to jump ashore.....

JIM

djh - 1-14-2006 at 09:22 PM

Please.... My wife, would be seriously insulted by your comment. I know you mean that to be funny... but it is really more discriminatory and racist than funny.

woody with a view - 1-14-2006 at 09:50 PM

but funny, none the less!!!

if you won't tell her we'll all just pretend it never happened...

David K - 1-14-2006 at 10:13 PM

I think Jim was using actual documented events to base his joke and refering to their nationality, not race (China is a country)... Otherwise he would have called them 'Asians'... right???

Dave - 1-14-2006 at 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
I think Jim was using actual documented events to base his joke and refering to their nationality, not race (China is a country)... Otherwise he would have called them 'Asians'... right???

djh - 1-15-2006 at 09:47 AM

I don't want to make a big deal about a small (insensitive) comment.

Woody: One of the reasons discrimination and racism continues is simply because: "but funny, none the less!!! if you won't tell her we'll all just pretend it never happened." Give it some tohught, my friend.

David K: Another reason discrimination and racism continues is simply because we rationalize and excuse it, and because of insensitive generalizations about a group of people (whether based upon actions of the few - or not)... such as, ""I think Jim was using actual documented events to base his joke and refering to their nationality, not race (China is a country)... Otherwise he would have called them 'Asians'... right??? "

.... and Dave answered you correctly - "No!"

Like I said, not a big deal, but it is humane to think about what we say, how we say it, and how it makes others feel. We all have potential for the best and the worst.

With MLK day tomorrow.... I hope these brief comments have meaning for you.

djh

woody with a view - 1-15-2006 at 10:24 AM

i don't think anyone meant any malice towards you, your wife, or the chinese in the containers. you should understand that. also, understand that a little humor goes along way towards shining light in places even MLK would've approved of.

and, i have to work tomorrow so it isn't really a "holiday" for me....

djh - 1-15-2006 at 11:09 AM

Thanks Woody.

I do understand that no malice was intended. Sorry you have to work tomorrow.... We do too.

Peace, Love, and Fish Tacos....

(I'll bet the fish consider THAT a bit discriminatory and "speciesist" of us all....

)

Ok, back to that ship stuck in da mud.

djh

David K - 1-15-2006 at 12:10 PM

Well, in the interest of fair play, you are more than welcome to post some Scottish, Irish, German, Norwegian, Welsh, or most other north European jokes (I have a bit of each in me)...

I think unless someone is personally picked on by name, you don't need to take ethnic jokes as a personal attack on any one person. You know very well Surfer Jim had no idea your wife was Chinese.

Humor is meant to make someone smile... and that is a good thing. Far too many people like to hate... that is very sad indeed!

woody with a view - 1-15-2006 at 01:38 PM

it's amazing that the ship hasn't listed one way or another with all that weight up top.

oil leaking from apl panama

sylens - 1-15-2006 at 03:20 PM

and now beach access is extremely limited. playa conalep and playa hermosa are affected. we thought the fuel had been removed--3000 tons of it. guess there was enough left to cause this mess. moods are beginning to darken.

surfer jim - 1-15-2006 at 05:14 PM

And next you will tell me that NO Chinese have EVER come in these containers or jumped ship when it got near land.....so I have got it all wrong.... :lol:

I'd love to get you...On a (VERY) slow boat to China

Dave - 1-15-2006 at 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by surfer jim
And next you will tell me that NO Chinese have EVER come in these containers or jumped ship when it got near land.....so I have got it all wrong.... :lol:

Certainly not in vessels leaving the U.S. bound for China via Mexico and Japan.

If so, they are either geographically dyslexic or homesick.

Small spill from grounded ship contained

BajaNews - 1-17-2006 at 12:03 PM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20060117-9999-1m17...

By Sandra Dibble
January 17, 2006

A small fuel spill Sunday from the grounded container vessel APL Panama was quickly controlled, and it appears to have caused no significant environmental damage, a Mexican official said yesterday morning.

Workers removed some 1,500 pounds of tainted sand from Conalep Beach, near a residential neighborhood south of the Ensenada port, said Ricardo Castellanos Percevault, the top official in Baja California for Mexico's environmental watchdog agency, Profepa.

The contamination occurred Sunday morning as salvage crews pumped water from a ballast tank that had been contaminated with fuel oil, said Jens Meier-Hedde, managing director of the company that owns the vessel, Mare Britannicum Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co. A crack from an adjoining fuel tank had led to the contamination, Meier-Hedde said.

The vessel's ballast tanks take in and expel seawater to provide stability and buoyancy.

"It was noticed very soon, and the pumping was stopped," said Meier-Hedde, speaking from his office in Bremen, Germany. Workers from Titan Maritime LLC, a U.S.-based salvage company, "had booms on the stern and the bow of the ship, and immediately cleaned up the beach."

The majority of the fuel on the vessel ? about 3,000 tons ? was pumped out last week at the request of Mexican officials, who have feared that damage to the vessel could result in a leak.

The APL Panama ran aground shortly after 6 p.m. Dec. 25, and efforts to float it have been unsuccessful so far as surf and sand push it toward shore. As many as seven tugs pulling on its bow with more than 40,000 horsepower have moved it 20 degrees from shore, but not far enough to start pulling the 880-foot vessel toward open water.

Later this week, a barge fitted with powerful hydraulic pulling machines is expected to arrive in Ensenada to double the tugs' power. Meier-Hedde said the goal is to have the machines in place during high tides later this month.

Just how the APL Panama ran aground remains the subject of speculation in Ensenada, as little official information has been forthcoming. Port officials say they cannot discuss the case while it is under investigation by the Communications and Transportation Ministry.

Port officials say the vessel was scheduled to meet a pilot to guide it into port at 7 p.m. It ran aground nearly 50 minutes earlier, at 6:12 p.m.

Meier-Hedde agreed that the vessel, carrying cargo from Oakland, had arrived earlier than scheduled, but said the captain had called ahead.

"In my opinion, he was irritated that the pilot boat wasn't there, he proceeded very slowly ahead, and unfortunately went too far and touched ground," he said. " . . . He didn't realize that the water would become that shallow that soon."

access to beach again

sylens - 1-17-2006 at 03:44 PM

although it is still not permitted to climb to the beach by the parking lot, about 1/2 kilometer south of that it is possible to cross over the dunes to the beach.

damage appears minimal and crews are out in the sand filtering it for gooey stuff.

much relieved at realtively minimal damage.

bajaandy - 1-17-2006 at 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by woody in ob
it's amazing that the ship hasn't listed one way or another with all that weight up top.

HA! How could it list? It's stuck in the sand! I bet that will be a different story if/when they get that baby back out into open water. Anybody remember the Posidon Adventure? But I think that's being optimistic... that sucker dosen't look like it's going anywhere any time soon.

container ship update?

paul r - 1-19-2006 at 10:24 PM

hi gang.... what's the latest on ship?....

[Edited on 1-20-2006 by paul r]

Bruce R Leech - 1-20-2006 at 07:24 AM

check the other thread I think it is pretty much up to date.
Hose A usually post anything new on the ship. there is just not much new going on right now. just a lot of finger pointing. :lol:

[Edited on 1-20-2006 by Bruce R Leech]

Bruce R Leech - 1-20-2006 at 07:53 AM

good morning Hose A. :cool:

Bruce R Leech - 1-20-2006 at 08:07 AM

no it is going to be after Easter now we are to busy to get away. :no:

bajaandy - 1-20-2006 at 08:29 AM

I'm going to play tourist and go down there to check it out tomorrow. I figure its a good excuse to get a morning surf in Baja Norte and a few tacos. I'll be sure to report back if I learn anything other than the fact that a big boat is still stuck on the beach and will probably be there for a while.

results of investigation

sylens - 1-20-2006 at 11:50 AM

reported in ensenada newspaper "el vig?a" confirm that the grounding was the result of human error. the ffirst officer reported that in his opinion the apl panam? was proceeding with excessive speed, and that the captain did not come to the bridge as he (the first officer) requesteed on two occasions. also cited in report, the captain had previously entered the port on a ship similar to apl panam?.

ooooops

Tomas Tierra - 1-21-2006 at 12:01 AM

Any New news from any of you Ensenadense's?? Very curious!
Still hard aground I assume??

Tomas

bajabound2005 - 1-21-2006 at 05:39 PM

Here's a site with lots of pix and info on this fiasco:

http://www.cargolaw.com/2006nightmare_apl_panama.html

bajajudy - 1-21-2006 at 05:58 PM

I love the title "Ship Happens" :biggrin:

lizard lips - 1-22-2006 at 03:20 PM

Its still there but it looks like it may cut loose soon. The bow is moving slowly.

Container Ship Still Aground in Ensenada, Mexico

BajaNews - 1-23-2006 at 06:16 AM

http://www.mexidata.info/id762.html

An Editorial from the Gringo Gazette North

by Nancy Conroy
January 23, 2006

That deafening silence emanating from the Ensenada Port Authority, in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, about the container ship APL Panama grounding is the unmistakable sound of a media blackout. Nobody who knows anything is talking, and when they do the things that they say are limited. So far little official information has been provided, and officials have certainly not offered any explanation about how this wreck could have occurred. A larger area of the beach has now been cordoned off, which effectively keeps out observers.

In the meantime, APL Panama officials, comfortably ensconced in their offices in Germany, are feeding upbeat assessments via telephone to the U.S. press, who are equally comfy up there in San Diego. But the view from the ground here in Mexico is a bit different. And there are plenty of tough questions that need to be answered about this disaster.

First, it is obvious that both the Port Authority and the ship?s owners are trying to put a positive spin on things. On December 28, three days after the grounding, the Ensenada Port Authority marketing director told the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper, "We anticipate the tugs will come and tug it off the sandy bottom and the ship will proceed to Ensenada."

Even at that early date anyone could see that the ship was not stuck on any ?sandy bottom,? it was up on the beach. Later, after the first oil spill, the Union-Tribune reported that a spokesman for the ship?s owners claimed that the salvage company "had booms on the stern and the bow of the ship, and immediately cleaned up the beach.?

Interesting.

If the salvage crew had booms on the stern and bow of the ship, then why haven?t any Ensenada witnesses seen these booms? No bow and stern oil booms were ever seen in the pounding surf either before or after the oil spill, and deploying them in breaking surf would be ineffective anyway. Maybe the ship?s owners, speaking from Germany, thought that nobody would notice this detail.

Finally, the Port Captain announced that the rescue attempt on January 14 failed, but that the efforts did succeed in moving the bow 20 degrees out to sea. This claim must be examined closely. Yes the ship did pivot on its keel, but the stern is now 50 feet higher up on the beach than it was before. Was this shift really a positive result of the rescue attempt, or did the stern accidentally slip up the beach during the high tide the night of Friday the 13th?

What other facts might they be fudging?

The main issue, though, is how this wreck could ever have occurred in the first place? Plenty of obvious questions are raised by the date of the incident, which was Christmas Sunday. Christmas Day is an official holiday in Mexico, suggesting that the port might not have been fully staffed that evening. Also, Christmas cheer was flowing freely throughout Ensenada, and who knows if the people at sea might have sipped a toddy or two?

The First Mate has stated that the Captain was late getting to the bridge. Little is known about what happened on the bridge that night, but somebody clearly was not paying attention. Fathometers indicate when a ship is getting into shallow water, so there must have been plenty of warning time when no corrective action was taken.

Then, as the ship approached the beach, the Panama attempted to turn southward. It turned perpendicular to the wind and surf, and the huge boat acted like a sail and washed up on the beach. Instead of attempting to turn, perhaps the Panama should have thrown the engines in reverse, or beached at a 90-degree angle.

Next there is the question of whether the two tugboats that initially responded to the crisis acted correctly. Two tugs cannot do much, so should more equipment have been available? An eyewitness reported that the tugs initially attempted to push the ship out to sea, then attempted to pull it. But, for some reason the tugs abandoned their efforts. If they had simply held their positions and continued to pull on the ship, perhaps they could have prevented the Panama from running further aground.

The day after the grounding, the Ensenada Port Authority immediately blamed the ship?s Captain, saying that an ?investigation? had determined that the Port was not at fault. Is a one day investigation really enough to determine all the facts? Can the Port Authority be trusted to investigate itself?

There is plenty of motivation in Ensenada to keep things quiet. The less information anyone provides, the more likely the story is to drop off the public radar screen. This port is attempting to position itself as a major alternative to Long Beach or San Diego, and embarrassing incidents like this are bad for business.

Mums the word.

Testimony cites errors in grounding

BajaNews - 1-23-2006 at 06:32 AM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/20060123-9...

Fresh insight into Ensenada accident

By Sandra Dibble
January 23, 2006

ENSENADA ? After nightfall on Dec. 25, the 880-foot container vessel APL Panama was preparing to enter the port of Ensenada. It was dangerously close to shore, and moving too fast. No port pilot was on board to guide it.

Last-minute efforts to avoid disaster came too late. At 6:12 p.m., on a night with good visibility, light breezes, smooth seas and swells over 6 feet, the APL Panama ran aground, 1.5 miles southeast of the port's entrance in the surf off a wide sandy beach. It has been stuck there ever since.

There were no equipment failures ? only human error ? that led to the grounding, according to sworn testimony by the captain and first mate, obtained by The San Diego Union-Tribune.

As salvage crews launch their second major push to refloat the vessel later this week, the statements shed some light on what was happening on the bridge of the APL Panama as it ran aground. "In my view it was too high speed," said Teo Motusic, the vessel's first officer, and second-in-command, in testimony before port officials. "My opinion is that the captain did not come to the bridge on time."

Motusic's declarations and those of the vessel's captain, Zupan Branko, paint a vivid picture of the half hour before the grounding and the desperate last-minute maneuvers that proved futile.

The incident and efforts to float the ship have drawn widespread attention. The ship's sheer size ? it is nearly as long as three football fields ? overwhelms the landscape, and local residents have been flocking to see it. A taxi driver made television news last week, standing before the vessel as he sang a corrido telling its story.

"It's something extraordinary, that you only see once in a lifetime," said Capt. Jos? Luis R?os Hern?ndez, Ensenada's harbor master.

The event has provoked curiosity from the marine community far beyond Ensenada. One Calfornia Web site features photos and comments, and London-based maritime insurance companies and shipping journals post regular updates on the salvage efforts.

The players themselves are multinational. The vessel, sailing under an Antigua and Barbuda flag, is owned by a company based in Bremen, Germany, Mare Britannicum Schiffahrtgesellschaft mbH & Co KG, and chartered by a global transportation company, APL, which has corporate offices in Oakland. The 25 men on board were also an international group, with the captain and officers from Croatia, the first engineer from Poland and crew from Myanmar.

The officers' statements for the first time lift the shroud of secrecy that has surrounded the incident. The ship's owners nor and Mexican officials have been unwilling to publicly offer details about the case, under investigation by Mexico's Communications and Transportation Ministry. It is being treated as an accident, and the captain and first mate have been allowed to leave the country.

Carrying some 900 containers weighing 30,000 tons, the vessel was traveling from Oakland, preparing for a regularly scheduled call in Ensenada before making stops down the Mexican coast and then crossing the ocean to Japan, Taiwan and China.

As is the practice in ports worldwide, ships are supposed enter the port of Ensenada only with a pilot on board. The pilot meets the vessel at an offshore location, in this case 2.3 miles west of the port entrance. Port officials say their records show the pilot was scheduled to meet the APL Panama at 7 p.m.

The captain, Branko, said the crew told the ship's agent in Ensenada at noon the ship would arrive at 6 p.m., according to his sworn testimony given in the presence of his British attorney at the Ensenada harbor master's office. Dec. 31.

The first mate, Motusic, in testimony on Jan. 2, said he tried to call the pilot on the radio from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. "but without success."

As they approached the port, Motusic said he called the captain twice from the bridge. But the captain did not show up to take command until 5:42 p.m.

Motusic said the captain was slow to react as he pointed out the buoys marking the channel's entrance, and the arriving pilot vessel.

"The captain was all the time looking ahead, and he said, 'I still cannot see the pilot. Where is the pilot?' I told him and pointed, 'Captain, there is the pilot, there is the pilot!' " Motusic testified.

The captain gave the order "hard to port wheel" ? to turn right. Then, the pilot called and warned, "Captain, you are going to the shallow waters," according to Motusic's testimony.

Under questioning from Ensenada's harbor master, Branko said it was his fourth time entering the port of Ensenada, and that all the equipment on board was functioning. It was not until 6:05 p.m. that he realized the vessel was in danger, he said. Seven minutes later it ran aground.

"Why did you not drop any of the anchors?" the harbor master asked. "I did not consider that possibility because it was a very short time span," Branko replied.

Asked what he could have done to prevent the accident the first officer, Motusic, replied: "Everything happened very, very fast, and I was showing the captain the position of the buoys, the channel, pilot boat and breakwater."

BajaNews - 1-23-2006 at 07:03 AM

http://photos.signonsandiego.com/gallery1.5/beachedship/JG_8...

One of five powerful hydraulic pullers that is being readied on a 400 foot barge in National City for the Titan Maritime company to be went to Ensenada to help in the removal of the 880' container ship APL Panama from the beach south of the entrance to the port where it went aground on Christmas Day. Photo by John Gibbins

bajaandy - 1-23-2006 at 09:23 AM

Perhaps the term "hard to port" refers to the Christmas-time beverage of choice on board ship that night.

As of Saturday the 21st, the ship is looking like it will be going no where soon. I was amazed at the sheer size of the ship and more so at the closeness to shore. I can not believe that they plan to float this monster without removing any of the cargo.

On Saturday we arrived at about 8:00 a.m., well before any crowd of spectators. We were able to park at the end of the road where the salvage company had made an access road across the beach dunes to the ship. A short walk to the cordoned off area provided really great views of what was going on. There was a small skiff that took some of the workers on and off the ship. There were a few men (crew?) atop some of the containers just sitting around. (You think they are still getting paid?)

A short walk south along the plastic orange fencing provided a view of the three tugs churning away. (I had the distinct impression that they may as well have been attempting to move the Empire State building. That ship was not moving a bit.) There were guards posted at various areas. Two guards were at the access road to the ship and a couple more were actually walking a beat up and down the fenced area. There was a jogger on the beach, and no one seemed to care that he was there. Jogged north up the beach and then south again right next to the ship. We played by the rules and stayed behind the orange fence. (Well, I did break the rules a tiny bit when I stepped over the fence to get a picture, but no one really seemed to care.)

In all it was quite a spectacle. As we were leaving, some vendors were just beginning to set up shop in anticipation of a good crowd of Saturday tourists.

On our way back through town we stopped for tacos and tortas at taquria El Pique. A lot of carne and adobada tacos and some quesadillas and tortas later we were feeling fat and happy and worked our way back north for a leisurely drive home. Waited about 45 minutes at the border where we presented our passports to the agent and were waved through.

I think it would be interesting to be there when they try to float her next week.

bajajudy - 1-23-2006 at 09:36 AM

"Port is to the left, if I'm not mistaken."

You are correct. I always rememered that because left and port have 4 letters. We wont get into the number in starboard and right....but they are not the same

David K - 1-23-2006 at 10:44 AM

Driving back north from El Rosario yesterday, the ship was quite a site from Hwy. 1... between Costco and the Ford dealership, driving north. Two (at least) tug boats were smoking away as they kept tight the ropes, I presume...

Dave - 1-23-2006 at 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by grover

Quote:

"hard to port wheel" ? to turn right

Port is to the left, if I'm not mistaken. :rolleyes:

Depends.

Reverse prop and hard-a-port would swing the stern in the opposite direction. Could someone confirm if the bow is grounded North, or South?

Frank - 1-23-2006 at 07:54 PM

I predict it will come off on Saturday...

Dave - 1-23-2006 at 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hose A
The bow is south bound.

There's your answer. The ship obviously turned to starboard. Probably twin screw and one hard reversed.

Frank - 1-23-2006 at 08:10 PM

This saturday 1-28-2006
BIG TIDE SWING
http://www.tidelinesonline.com/displayPredictions.do?month=1...

BajaDanD - 1-24-2006 at 01:10 AM

your joking right that is a tiny tide swing

2006-01-28 01:01 PST 0.60 meters Low Tide
2006-01-28 06:16 PST Moonrise
2006-01-28 06:42 PST Sunrise
2006-01-28 07:24 PST 2.06 meters High Tide
2006-01-28 14:42 PST -0.49 meters Low Tide
2006-01-28 16:23 PST Moonset
2006-01-28 17:17 PST Sunset
2006-01-28 21:06 PST 1.19 meters High Tide
they'll need a lot more then that that high tide will only cause the serf zone to be right against the ship further sinking it in the sand

bajaandy - 1-24-2006 at 08:33 AM

Are you trying to say that a 6.8 ft high tide going to a low of negative 1.8 ft is a tiny swing? Yikes! That's huge from my perspective. Almost 8 feet of tidal flux.

But back to the boat... I'm sure they will mount a "titanic" effort to float her on Sunday. Maybe they will do it on Saturday, but they will have just a bit more tide on Sunday to work with. In any case, I'll be amazed if they actually "pull it off", so to speak.

[Edited on 1-24-2006 by bajaandy]

bajalou - 1-24-2006 at 10:17 AM

Those tidal swings are pretty small compared to the Sea of Cortez, north end (San Felipe) where 20' changes are common.

I dont think....

Hook - 1-24-2006 at 11:40 AM

....the "swing" of the tide is important here anyway.

What matters is how high the high tide is. And 6.8 is pretty good for this portion of the Pacific Ocean.

Frank - 1-24-2006 at 06:31 PM

Swing... sorry I 'm going fish Saturday and had tide swing on the brain. But Saturday is still my prediction :yes:

{no one wants to work sunday}

Whatever happened...

eetdrt88 - 1-24-2006 at 07:55 PM

to the chinese people??

wornout - 1-24-2006 at 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by grover

Quote:

"hard to port wheel" ? to turn right

Port is to the left, if I'm not mistaken. :rolleyes:

Sun 29 2:25 AM PST / 1.49 ft 8:33 AM PST / 7.22 ft 3:43 PM PST / -1.94 ft 10:00 PM PST / 4.56 ft New Moon

Years ago I was told something that is easy to remember when dealing with port and the other side.

'Red the Sailor Left Port'. The guys name is RED and so is the LEFT PORT side of a ship and sailor is in there because they are always leaving the port. Also, red is the color of the light on the left side of a shop or plane.

Ahem....in USA waters, it's Red, Right, Returning...

Mexray - 1-24-2006 at 08:40 PM

...which means you keep the 'Red' channel markers (lights) on the 'Right' side of the boat, as you 'Return' to the docks (port of call) or if you are traveling 'up river'. Obviously, the 'Green' channel markers would then be off the Left side of the boat - again, when coming into port.

Not all other countries subscribe to the R,R,R routine, but most do.

And yes, the Red light on a boat marks the Port or left hand side of the vessel - the Green light marks the Starboard or Right hand side of the vessel.

Easy to remember, as Red and Port and Left are Short words - Green and Starboard and Right are longer words...

djh - 1-24-2006 at 09:54 PM

Or... simply...

Do you have any RED PORT LEFT??? :yes:

Definitely a wine lovers spin.... (THAT sounds strange..... I don't get the spins often....)

djh

I'll drink to that...

Mexray - 1-24-2006 at 10:37 PM

...which the Capt. might have been doing, instead of watching the real 'port'... :rolleyes:

Story corrected

BajaNews - 1-25-2006 at 07:41 PM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060124-9999-1m24c...

A story yesterday about how the APL Panama container ship ran aground off Ensenada incorrectly stated that "hard to port wheel" meant that a right turn was ordered. In fact, it is an order to turn left.

BajaDanD - 1-26-2006 at 12:03 AM

How high the tide is this Sat. is the only thing that matters and 6.5 ft is not much for a ship that draws that much water and is burried that deep in the sand. They migh move it a few feet but 6.5 ft is not high enough to float it.
It will still be there when I drive down on my way to San Ignacio Feb 16th.
OH YEAH
Righty Tighty Lefty Loosey
OOOPS!!! that dont help with navigation.

Frank - 1-26-2006 at 03:38 PM

You know the rule Dan, you cant just drive by someone in need in Baja, so if it s still there, get out and give them a push.
Saturday.... :bounce:

another oil spill

sylens - 1-26-2006 at 06:50 PM

today closed off most beach access. had to go south on pedro loyola all the way just past where the new extension (currently being built) ends. was able to follow a path through the dunes to the orange plastic and eventually down to the beach. the festive air was totally absent today. no vendors, no happy campers. hope the spill was not too big.

also, beginning yesterday morning and happening daily between now and january 31, all 7 tugs and the new equipment will "give it all they got" (about 80,000 horses, according to some) to try and pull her out.

more and more people i talk to think it just ain't gonna happen. but it also appears that the salvage team has a "no cure no pay" contract, so they'll keep at it for awhile.

BajaDanD - 1-27-2006 at 12:41 AM

You're right. I've been on dirt roads in Baja and on the beach in some remote places and run into people stuck in the sand and always stayed and helped until they were on there way. one time I drove to SanQuintin in a Deawoo. 'DUMB" and drove down the road by Gypsy's out to the point. Promptly got stuck. some guy and his wife in a Jeep pulled us out. Turns out they lived about a mile away frm us in SO.CAL. on our way back to Gypsy's we ran across a truck burried to the windows in the sand. The motor was missing and anything else that could be removed. Just like the cars along Mex.1 that have broken down or wrecked they get stripped then turned upside down then stripped some more. Cant wait to see that Freighter turned upside down and stripped and left to rust.
DanD

BajaDanD - 1-27-2006 at 12:44 AM

http://www.msnusers.com/dandplumbing@msn.com/Documents/Pictures%2F25.JPG

[Edited on 1-27-2006 by BajaDanD]

Frank - 1-27-2006 at 08:09 AM

Couldnt get your link to work. Damn Plumbers...... :spingrin:

jimqpublic - 1-27-2006 at 12:02 PM

Reports from Lloyds of London:
https://www.lloydsagency.com/Agency/Salvage.nsf/0/ECF5E6CB61...

Click on "case details"

Nothing new, just a slightly different view.

[Edited on 1-27-2006 by jimqpublic]

Bruce R Leech - 1-27-2006 at 07:32 PM

https://www.lloydsagency.com/Agency/Salvage.nsf/0/ECF5E6CB61...

The following extracts from Lloyd's List appear with the kind permission of Lloyd's Casualty Desk.

London, Jan 19 - The operators of the c.c. APL Panama report that the vessel remains aground on soft sand some 1.5 nautical miles south-east of the entrance to the port of Ensenada, Mexico. Salvors have succeeded in manoeuvring the bow of the vessel some 20 degrees towards deeper water over the past week, in order to assist the next re-floating effort. The vessel remains structurally intact and secure and it is hoped that another concerted effort to re-float her can be made toward the end of next week, when tide conditions are more favourable. This next stage of the operation will utilise powerful hydraulic pulling machines which will double the capacity of the strong tugs already standing by the vessel. In the meantime, the salvors have succeeded in transferring the fuel oil to a bunker barge at the port of Ensenada. Specialist anti-pollution contractors have been hired by the salvors, and are on permanent standby throughout the operation, where they will remain until the vessel is safely re-floated. The grounding occurred while the vessel awaited the Ensenada Pilot on Dec 26. The Master was not attempting to enter port without a pilot, nor was she in any way behind schedule and trying to make up time by deliberately approaching nearer the shore than she should have. An enquiry into the grounding is being conducted by the Mexican authorities, which the owners, MS "Mare Britannicum" Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co KG, are fully cooperating with. The Owners would like to thank the Mexican authorities and the salvors who continue to successfully work towards a resolution of this issue in a safe and professional manner.

BajaDanD - 1-27-2006 at 07:47 PM

my computer skills are lacking but the link worked for me I tried to post the picture. If you right click on the little X and click on Show picture it should work. If not, cut and paste the link.

DanD

BajaDanD - 1-27-2006 at 08:04 PM

http://images.snapfish.com/345%3B652%3C6%7Ffp338%3Enu%3D324%...

'I just couldn't believe it'

BajaNews - 1-28-2006 at 09:02 AM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/20060128-9...

Frantic efforts to halt errant ship recalled

By Sandra Dibble
January 28, 2006

ENSENADA ? As six tugboats and hydraulic pullers heaved yesterday at the bow of the stranded container vessel APL Panama, a port pilot spoke publicly for the first time about the desperate last-minute efforts to keep it from running aground more than a month ago.

Capt. Fernando Ram?rez Mart?nez said he and a co-pilot were leaving the port to meet the vessel about 6 p.m. Dec. 25 when they spotted the 880-foot vessel heading across the harbor's entrance channel and aiming straight for the shore.

?I saw the lights and I couldn't believe it, I just couldn't believe it,? said Ram?rez in an interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune. ?I told the tugboats, 'Leave the port, because the ship is about to run aground.' ?

The vessel has been stuck since Christmas along a sandy beach south of the port. Salvage crews reported moderate success in freeing it yesterday and were scheduled to continue work today and tomorrow, taking advantage of high tides.

The ship has been parallel to the shore for weeks, but when it ran aground it was nearly perpendicular to land, and it might have been towed away then, Ram?rez said. Precious moments might have been lost because the ship's captain initially refused assistance.

?I suggested to him that we get the tugboat Coral and send it a line so that it could try to keep (the APL Panama) at that position? perpendicular to shore, Ram?rez said. A second tugboat was to push from the starboard side.

?The captain said he didn't want to give the line, that he couldn't because that would mean it was salvage? and would prompt a host of legal problems, Ram?rez said. Close to half an hour had passed before Capt. Zupan Branko agreed to give a line so the tugboat could pull, but by then it was too late, Ram?rez said.

The waves and currents were pushing the ship into the shore, and by the next morning, it was parallel to the beach and much more difficult to move.

From the beginning, there has been little information about the grounding made public. Port officials have said they cannot discuss it until a formal report is issued, but transcripts of sworn testimony by the vessel's captain and first officer obtained last week by the Union Tribune and the Ensenada newspaper El Vig?a point to human error.

Teo Motusic, the first officer, said the vessel was going too fast and Branko had arrived late to the ship's bridge to take command as it prepared to enter Ensenada's harbor.

Branko testified that according to his schedule, he was to meet the port pilot at 6 p.m., in order to be inside the port by 7 p.m. However, port officials have said their records show orders to meet the APL Panama at 7 p.m.

Ram?rez, the port pilot, said his office had received a notice Dec. 24 from the shipping company's agent to meet the APL Panama at 6:30 p.m. Just after 6 p.m., he made radio contact with the vessel. ?I said, 'I will meet you at the pilot boarding station as usual,' ? Ram?rez said.

However, the vessel's records show it had already passed the pilot station and was moving into restricted waters where ships are required to have a pilot aboard, Ram?rez said.

By Ram?rez's calculations, the vessel was moving at an average of 7 knots as it approached shore ? far too fast. A month later, Ram?rez said he cannot forget the sight of the vessel's lights crossing in front of him a mile away.

Because the grounding has been ruled an accident, Branko and Motusic have been allowed to leave Mexico. The ship's German owners initially blamed the grounding on strong currents. Jens Meier-Hedde, managing director for the company, Mare Britannicum Schiffahrtsgesellschaft MBH & Co., later said Branko was irritated because the pilot was not there to meet him at what he believed was the appointed time.

?The cause of the grounding was neither the wind, nor the current nor the visibility, nor the tide,? Ram?rez said. ?All of the conditions for entering the port were normal.?

The owners have hired Titan Maritime LLC to float the ship. Efforts in the middle of January using six tugboats succeeded in moving the bow 20 degrees toward open water.

A second major push is taking place this weekend, as a barge fitted with hydraulic pullers has doubled the capacity of the tugboats. The company has also installed a giant hose that will be used to blow away sand accumulating around the keel of the vessel like a wall.

Titan reported moderate success yesterday ? the blower was not yet working ? with the hull moving an additional three to four degrees.

?Perhaps if Monday there is no result with the current plans, we'll have to go to a new phase and remove the containers,? said Capt. Jos? Luis Rios Hern?ndez, Ensenada's harbor master.

-------
Photo:

Hector Jose Gomez Rodriguez (right), director general for Baja California of Mexico's Transport and Communications Ministry, was ferried around the stranded ship yesterday by Juan Jimenez. -- JOHN GIBBINS

Frank - 1-29-2006 at 07:47 PM

:biggrin:

It will now be a new artificial reef/ bird sanctuary. :biggrin:

BajaDanD - 1-29-2006 at 08:32 PM

It will soon be striped turned upside down and stripped somemore and then left to rust. That is my prediction.

BajaNews - 1-29-2006 at 09:24 PM

Picture of the pounding the ship was taking, this one from Janaury 13th. Photo by Capt. Lonnie Ryan.

Tomas Tierra - 1-29-2006 at 10:51 PM

NICE SHOT BAJA NEWS!!

Were they making attempts

Hook - 1-30-2006 at 10:37 AM

during the high tide of Sunday morning? DID IT SUCCEED?

I was launching in Dana Point at around 8am, Sunday, and I have never seen the tide so high in DP. That was their best chance.

Heavier helicopter summoned to aid grounded container ship

BajaNews - 1-30-2006 at 03:14 PM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20060130-1319-bn30...

January 30, 2006

ENSENADA, Mexico ? Salvagers trying to free the grounded container ship APL Panama will bring in a more powerful helicopter to unload more of the vessel's cargo in hope of finally getting her unstuck.

Since last Christmas Day, the vessel has been trapped in the sand off the beach, just south of the port of Ensenada, parallel to the beach.

Nearly continuous efforts with a half-dozen tugboats and hydraulic equipment to turn her bow into the oncoming waves have failed.

The salvagers had been using a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane helicopter to lift some of the hundreds of containers off the APL Panama, but the chopper isn't powerful enough to pick up the heaviest of the containers stacked on her deck, so they will bring in a more powerful copter, said Jose Luis Rios Hernandez, Ensenada's harbormaster.

yes they were trying.

sylens - 1-30-2006 at 03:21 PM

and no it did not succeed :no:

they are saying they only got the bow to about 25 degrees but she's still stuck as can be. :rolleyes:

now they will unload the cargo, perhaps.

apl panam?'s stuck in the sand :wow:

apl panam?'s captain got sacked

80K horses and seven tugboats

couldn't get apl panam? afloat :no:

is anyone in vegas taking odds on the eventual outcome :?:

Bob H - 1-30-2006 at 04:22 PM

Many many years ago there used to be a steel hull stuck in the sand along the shoreline you would pass by on the way down to Ensenada. Eventually it all rotted out and disappeared. Does anyone remember the location of that one?

BornFisher - 1-30-2006 at 04:30 PM

Bob-- That ship was a Mexican destroyer bought from the U.S. and ran aground in a heavy fog. Captain got in some serious trouble!!
Hey it looks like a quality wave breaking out there!! No doubt it`s off limits!

Bob H - 1-30-2006 at 04:49 PM

BornFisher - Very interesting... do you remember the location?
Bob H

elgatoloco - 1-30-2006 at 05:04 PM

The wreck was south of Salsipuedes.

BajaNews - 1-30-2006 at 09:12 PM

Tugboats work in tandem with powerful winches mounted on a barge to help free the APL Panama cargo ship, right, on Friday, Jan. 27, 2006, in Ensenada, Mexico. The ship has been grounded since Dec. 25, 2005. This week salvage crews began using the barge to assist the tugboats. They are also exploring the idea of possibly using underwater pumps to blow sand away from the hull. (AP Photo/David Maung)

[Edited on 1-31-2006 by BajaNews]

BajaNews - 1-30-2006 at 09:29 PM

Powerful winches mounted on a barge work in tandem with six tugboats (not pictured) to help free the APL Panama cargo ship on Friday, Jan. 27, 2006, in Ensenada, Mexico. The ship has been grounded since Dec. 25, 2005. This week salvage crews began using the barge to assist the tugboats. They are also exploring the idea of possibly using underwater pumps to blow sand away from the hull. (AP Photo/David Maung)

BajaNews - 1-30-2006 at 09:30 PM

Six tugboats (not pictured) work in tandem with powerful winches mounted on a barge to help free the APL Panama cargo ship, right, on Friday, Jan. 27, 2006, in Ensenada, Mexico. The ship has been grounded since Dec. 25, 2005. This week salvage crews began using the barge to assist the tugboats. They are also exploring the idea of possibly using underwater pumps to blow sand away from the hull. The entrance to the port of Ensenada is seen in the background. (AP Photo/David Maung)

BajaNews - 1-30-2006 at 09:31 PM

The APL Panama cargo ship remains beached as six tugboats (not pictured) work in tandem with powerful winches mounted on a barge to free the ship on Friday, Jan. 27, 2006 in Ensenada, Mexico. The ship has been grounded since December 25, 2005. This week's salvage crews began using the barge to assist the tugboats as well as possibly using underwater pumps to blow sand away from the hull. (AP Photo/David Maung)

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