Baltic Carrier rudder blamed

Citation

(2001), "Baltic Carrier rudder blamed", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 10 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2001.07310dab.006

Baltic Carrier rudder blamed

Baltic Carrier rudder blamed

INTERORIENT Navigation has confirmed that its new-build tanker Baltic Carrier suffered rudder failure before colliding with a bulk carrier in the Baltic Sea. The double-hulled tanker, which was delivered late last year, lost steering control in a narrow shipping channel between Denmark and Germany and collided with the Cyprus-flag bulker Tern. The resulting oil slick, despite being less significant than at first anticipated, was described by Danish maritime authorities as the worst in Denmark's recent history. The Baltic Carrier moved under her own power to a position five miles north of where the incident took place on 1 April, and ship-to-ship transfer of the cargo is due to begin on 2 April. The casualty prompted calls from the European Commission for tighter controls on shipping in the region and, it claimed, emphasised the need for the swift implementation of post-Erika safety measures. Captain Bardakos, head of the Tern's ship-manager, the Piraeus-based Ranger Marine, said the disabled tanker had crossed the bulker's path. "The channel was very narrow and there was no space to manoeuvre the vessel," he told Lloyd's List. "The master [of the Tern] said that the captain of the Baltic Carrier admitted immediately that he had problems with his rudder," he added. The vessels' final movements are the focus of the investigation into the collision. Danish islands were dotted with small oil slicks on Friday. However, authorities were optimistic about containing most of the leaked fuel, despite earlier fears that the casualty would result in environmental disaster. An underwater inspection on Friday morning established that some 2,700 tonnes of marine fuel were lost from the Baltic Carrier following the collision. The 37,000dwt Marshall Islands-flag tanker was carrying 33,000 tonnes of oil at the time of the incident. The Baltic Carrier, which first sailed on 28 June last year, was built in Ulsan, Korea, by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard. The tanker Tervi has been chartered to handle the ship-to-ship transfer. Once the operation is completed, the Baltic Carrier will sail to an as yet unnamed shipyard for repairs. The 34,365dwt Tern was anchored off Rostock on Friday.