We watched loads of vehicle carriers rounding Cape Agulhas this last week. None of them got stuck on any rocks or sandbanks (and there are both around the Southern Tip). But they were obviously just lucky.
Here’s a great picture of the grounded Hoegh Osaka on Bramble Bank in the Solent:
Initial reports suggest that the captain made a decision to delberately run the listing vehicle carrier aground there in order to stop it falling over completely capsizing [Loving the technical terminology. Nice work. – Ed.]. If so, that probably represents the best demonstration of parking under pressure since I swung into that gap 30cm longer than my car directly outside Caprice in late December 2009.
Marine Traffic reports (entirely accurately, I suppose) that the Hoegh Osaka is currently “Stopped”:
Next to it are the tugs Lomax and Svitzer Alma. That red diamond is the West Bramble Buoy – warning big ships of the sandbank there. And acting as a parking marker for listing carrier captains everywhere.
Stuff you should know about Bramble Bank: It’s an underwater sandbank between Southampton and the Isle of Wight. Oh, and THEY HAVE A CRICKET MATCH ON IT EVERY YEAR!
The Bramble Bank is renowned for the annual cricket match held there, when the Royal Southern Yacht Club play the Island Sailing Club. The match takes place when the bank is exposed but never lasts very long before the tide returns. The undulating surface with large puddles ensures it is more a social occasion than a serious cricket match, and the scoring reflects this – the victor of the game is pre-determined, and the two clubs simply take it in turns to “win” the match, regardless of play. The Brambles cricket match has been described as “quintessentially English”.
Yep:
Brilliant. Just brilliant.