MSC Flaminia soon to enter stable AIS signal zone. Unanswered questions.

August 23: MSC Flaminia and two tugs proceeding to UK waters at an average speed 4.5 knots, last known position 49.12N 009.07W at 22:21 UTC 22.8.12. Sometime during August 23 the vessels will appear on public AIS websites with stable signal, available for anybody to monitor them. Tug Carlo Magno is berthed in Falmouth, at the same pier she and another tug, Anglian Sovereign, were berthed during previous calls, during the Great Atlantic Raid of MSC Flaminia and involved salvage tugs. Afraid we won’t ever find out what cargo was (still is?) on board of MSC Flaminia, causing such an unique salvage operation and raising such fears among coastal States. Unless of course, a leak of information will occur, and some sensible and responsible person among those who were involved in the operation, will enlighten the public and answer the unanswered questions:
Why the crew left apparently seaworthy vessel without, as the following events demonstrated, any visible threat to crew and the vessel?
Why the crew was restricted in contacts, especially with media, after rescue?
Why the UK refused refuge presumably on July 28, and vessel had to be towed away into the Atlantic?
Why following the UK, all other Coastal States refused refuge, and finally, only Germany granted shelter on the grounds of Germany being a State of Flag?
Vessel was and is seaworthy, fire was under control by July 28, the shelter refusal nevertheless, was explained by fears of capsizing – it’s already the end of August, vessel was towed around in the Atlantic for more than a month, and after that, declared as “stable” by the authorities.
Why the last leg into the Atlantic was such a long one, directed to the US, were the operator NSB and salvage going to tow the vessel to the US?
Why MSC and NSB treated their clients in such an objectionable manner, refusing any information about the exact location of their containers on board, and probable condition of their containers?
Does the carrier bear any responsibility for financial and moral losses suffered by clients due to his failing in providing them the timely and accurate information about their containers?
What is the risk evaluation of the existing tariff scale in liner shipping – it’s impossible to check each container, but how profitable is it to declare hazardous goods as harmless, is it possible to make the shipping safer by applying other schemes of freight calculations?
Voytenko Mikhail

Comments

  1. Very interesting questions. I bet I can infer some of the answers.

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