Failure in the engine of the vessel with 290 thousand tons of oil, happened in Angra dos Reis after unberthing; the ship needed five tugs to help her stay safe.
An incident at the exit of a vessel in Ilha Grande Bay, in Angra dos Reis, interrupted operations at the Almirante Maximiano da Fonseca terminal – tebig, this Sunday, October 13th. Brasfels Shipyard in Angra dos Reis hires Welders, Torch Operators, Plumbers and more, this October 15th.
Carrying on board 290 thousand tons of oil, the tanker New Medal, from Hong Kong, had an engine failure shortly after its unberthing, forcing an emergency maneuver to move it away from the terminal.
The pilot (the professional responsible for “parking” the ships) began the maneuver around 5:30 am, and shortly after unberthing, with the help of five tugboats, the ship had a machine failure.
According to Otávio Fragoso, vice-president of the Union of Pilots of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the pilot maneuvered the vessel away from the terminal and then made it stop using the anchor and tugs.
The vessel is a VLCC - Very Large Crude Carrier - flying the flag of Hong Kong, with a length of 330 m, beam of 60,04 m and draft of 20,20 m. According to Otávio, as the distance to the terminal was very small, the pilot had to move the vessel to another position.
“There was no space for the ship to turn freely without risk of collision. So, the pilot had to lift the anchor and move the ship towed to a safer position”, said Otávio, “Since there was no structural damage, in principle, there would be no risk of oil leakage”, concludes the vice president
According to the Captain of the Ports of Rio de Janeiro, André Félix, the ship's problem was a lack of propulsion.
“It was loss of engines. He is safe with five tugs keeping him away from the terminal. An inquiry will be opened to find out what happened. When propulsion is reestablished, the ship leaves the channel for the anchorage area, in open sea, a place for large ships, at the exit of Ilha Grande Bay. There, they will be inspected to see if they are able to continue their journey”, informed Félix.
According to the Port Captain, twelve hours after the incident, the vessel's engines were repaired, “The propulsion was restored and the ship went to the anchorage area. But it will still be inspected to make sure it can continue its journey”, said Félix.
