- 18 Ιουν 2017, 16:09
#408124
Είναι πολύ χοντρό αυτό που έγινε, λίγες περισσότερες πληροφορίες αλιευμένες απ το gcaptain:
What we know:
- Two ships, both heading towards Tokyo Bay collide on a clear night with good visibility.
- From the AIS we know that the ACX Crystal was steaming at 18.5 kts on a heading of 068 degr.
- Exact speed and heading of the USS Fitzgerald is not known. (AIS switched off??)
(It may be assumed that they were at near same but converging courses)
- The USS Fitzgerald is struck near midships on her Stbd. side.
- The Container ship ACX Crystal sustained damages on her Port bow.
What we not yet know:
- Who were the overtaking vessel in accordance with the COLREGS?
It seams to me that when that last question is answered we know who's to blame.
Why this happened will take some more investigation, and openness from both parties.
PS> If the above MarineTraffic plot represent the course and speed of the USS Fitzgerald we may have the answer of who to blame, but not why a fast and maneuverable warship could not avoid collision with a large container ship on an apparent converging course, even if they had the right of way.
It appears to me that the container ship was manuvering pretty erratic just prior to the collision. It reversed course twice and made some hard turns which might indicate a steering malfunction.
