Last night, strong winds and violent seas sent the cargo vessel "Marielle Bolten" (out of New Zealand) into rocks just off the coast at Costambar (which is just west of Puerto Plata). I watched the Marina de Guerra approach the ship, then return to Puerto Plata. The ship appears to be solidly grounded at this time (7pm, Monday evening). Let us all hope that salvage is possible without a very nasty spill of diesel fuel which might be disasterous. I will try to learn more tomorrow. Canadian Bob
- Thread starter canadian bob
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Environmental accident waiting to happen
Bob, any chance of digital pics of the stranded ship for the Green Team blog?
Is the entry to the port of Puerto Plata really so tight and perilous to apprach and enter? Or were they approaching when prudence suggested they shouldn't?
Is the entry to the port of Puerto Plata really so tight and perilous to apprach and enter? Or were they approaching when prudence suggested they shouldn't?
Not that I can fully answer your question, Keith, but that area is known to be very perilous.Keith R said:
Many a boat or ship has gone down around there, including several of my friends' boats.
If waters are rough, wind is high, visibility a bit poor, you're in big trouble out around there.
Stranded ship near Costambar.
Yes, I will take digital photos at dawn tomorrow. The ship is still there (7.30pm Mon.) with all lights on. Earlier I saw (binocs) about 4 men in orange suits near the davits of a lifeboat on the ship (which may be 27,000 tonnes.)
The reason for the grounding appears to have been the storm. The ship appears to have come from the west. Puerto Plata harbour entrance is narrow and there are strong currents which have caused wrecks in that vicinity in the past. I will endeavor to obtain more useful info. for you. Canadian Bob
Yes, I will take digital photos at dawn tomorrow. The ship is still there (7.30pm Mon.) with all lights on. Earlier I saw (binocs) about 4 men in orange suits near the davits of a lifeboat on the ship (which may be 27,000 tonnes.)
The reason for the grounding appears to have been the storm. The ship appears to have come from the west. Puerto Plata harbour entrance is narrow and there are strong currents which have caused wrecks in that vicinity in the past. I will endeavor to obtain more useful info. for you. Canadian Bob
Thanks, Marco. Would seem, then, that when you're carrying a cargo like diesel, you need to be all the more careful about port approach. Or is that practical? Wish I had a layout of the port and its approaches, so I could visualize all this...Rocky said:
Keith R said:
NB!! I never said the cargo was diesel!!! I don't know what the cargo is...
Ships of this size use diesel fuel for propulsion. Even that could be appreciable, but lets wait for some solid information... Canadian Bob
Interesting that the second link you provide lists the ship as asea SE of the DR, rather than aground on the North Shore. HmmmmMirador said:
Thanks for the link, Mirador.Mirador said:
Now explain to me what I am doing wrong. that the only position I can get on the map for this ship, is South of Punta Cana.
Something is wrong! From the position listed in Mirador's post @shipwx.info (great site BTW!), this vessel was way south of here, in the Caribbean. How could it have sped around the island and gotten to CCostambar so fast?
Keith, FYI, the entrance to POP harbour has been notoriously dangerous for centuries. it is like Vase, with the bottleneck being at the very near entrance.
HB ???????
Keith, FYI, the entrance to POP harbour has been notoriously dangerous for centuries. it is like Vase, with the bottleneck being at the very near entrance.
HB ???????
HB, do you know of any restrictions placed on the port's usage as a result of its risks? For example, certain dangerous cargo not allowed to dock there, and required to dock in Haina instead?
Keith R said:
Until now, I haven't been able to verify that the M/V Marielle Bolten had a scheduled stop at a DR port.
Here's something interesting from a South Jersey Port Corporation Newsletter:
"The M/V Marielle Bolten attracted media attention because the ship?s master, Malgorzata Kowalczyk, of Poland, is one of a very few women who captain merchant vessels and, in the long recollection of South Jersey Port Executive Director Joseph A. Balzano,the first woman master to bring a ship into the Port of Camden."
SouthJerseyPort.com
Today's LISTIN On LIne mentions that the Marielle Bolten hails from Rio, carrying steel pipes for Puerto Plata, and after being scheduled by port authorities for port entry at 6:00 am, made an unauthorize and unannounced attempt at 1:00 am, with the resulting consequences. Authorities are waiting for the arrival of the owners to decide what to do.
LISTIN On Line
LISTIN On Line
That is what I mean!! As far as I know they require a port authority pilot to enter that harbor.
What "probably" happened was that she did not want to drop anchor and wait 8 hours to enter port. Currents are from east to west, and I doubt that there was much lighting. Of course ther could have been other problems, such as a sudden loss of power or steerage?? WTFK?
Might represent a huge, really tremendous danger to Ocean World....
HB, worried as can be!
What "probably" happened was that she did not want to drop anchor and wait 8 hours to enter port. Currents are from east to west, and I doubt that there was much lighting. Of course ther could have been other problems, such as a sudden loss of power or steerage?? WTFK?
Might represent a huge, really tremendous danger to Ocean World....
HB, worried as can be!