BLUEMOMENT

Timber from Belfast to Sweden ??

Coals to Newcastle?

At least there's plenty of reserve buoyancy

Graeme

It came from Fort Bill according to it's AIS info which still doesn't explain what it was doing right over against the Mull shore just a mile from Calve Island. Some kind of gear failure presumably - if they weren't all drunk or asleep.

What is it with these timber-carrying coasters - they're either bumping into the Farne Islands or motoring into the Isle of Mull..

As we passed this incident this morning the coastguard was acting as translator between the broad Scots of the lifeboat radio operator and the pidgeon English of the Russian(?) radio hack who couldn't understand each other.

I think that he said "the pilot ladder is on the port side for you" etc.

Hope it all turned out OK.

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Well, it's no longer aground. According to AIS data it got off the rocks then headed out of the Sound of Mull North of Tobermory before doing a u-turn and heading back down the Sound.

It is currently a few miles South of Tobermory doing 4.5kts towards a stated destinaton of Oban with the lifeboat in close attendance.

Entirely off topic, but sparked by your AIS picture: I didn't know there was a ferry from Drimnin to Kilchoan. One would have thought that if Drimnin justifies a ferry then Tobermory would have been a more logical destination, but what do I know?

DaveS wrote:Entirely off topic, but sparked by your AIS picture: I didn't know there was a ferry from Drimnin to Kilchoan. One would have thought that if Drimnin justifies a ferry then Tobermory would have been a more logical destination, but what do I know?

I think it is a once a week service by Ardnamurchan Charters : http://www.west-scotland-marine.com/Kilchoan-Ferry.html

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The MV Fri Ocean is now anchored in Oban Bay off Kerrera, with a workboat (divers?) in attendance. She does not appear to be listing.

Maybe shes parked on the spot recently vacated.....

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Here's a cracking picture of her 'parked' with two hours to go to low water:

BlowingOldBoots wrote:Great picture! How big is the "local magnetic anomaly" stated on the charts at that point?

Regards,

Alastair

I don't know Alastair, but I don't think the primary nav aid on modern freighters is a magnetic compass, and imagine the insurers would take a dim view of that excuse.

Well, in fairness, Masters of all vessels do need something to blame when things don't go according to plan. So why not a compass, particularly one that is adversely affected by local magnetic anomalies.....and rocks and things?

We passsed her at 1515 or so on Friday



- which I think will have been around LW. Quite a sight, the LB was in attendance but lying on her port side so not visible in the picture. When we got into Oban on Saturday afternoon she was as in Nick's picture, looking sheepish rather than seriously damaged.

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If the autopilot is compass based I imagine it would be gyro compass, not a magnetic compass.

There a couple of posts on ForArgyll that appear to be by members of the crew, clearly suggesting fatigue as the probably cause.

True says:

June 16, 2013 at 8:47 pm

Hey it is seamans life, true is…: 7 crew on board, completed loading at evening + securing of cargo, lashing + unmooring, All mooring unmooring and Navigation without Pilot, Coran point Loch etc.. All pushing Agent+ charters,receivers etc… as i know on this tipe of vessels all crew involved in securing of cargo, so 2nd mate and ch. mate also tired, 2nd mate go at watch at 24 and 100% tired … Continious soon.

Bring back the webcam from the wee eaterie whose name I dare not mention.
That would have shown us what happened, including any distracting crumpet stravaiging along the prom.