Not the best docking at Venice you'll see!!!

[les37b]

Ok.... Luckily this isn't a Silversea Ship, and the main port which SS don't use, but know it'll be of interest. Quite scary!!

 

 

 

[Bill B]

Ooops!

[puppycanducruise]

I hope no one was killed.

[beaujolais]

You are wrong Les.  We have docked a number of times at the main passenger terminal area with SS and also at Dorsoduro with various SS vessels

[les37b]

47 minutes ago, puppycanducruise said:

I hope no one was killed.

 

Agreed ... Or injured. Though I suspect the only injuries were substained by the ships, pier and the pride of those in charge. 

 

MSC opera will be out of action for quite some time looking at images of damage on both sides. The river boat was inbedded in the port side hull, which I'd expect would be the only place any injuries may have been substained.

 

I wonder what the cause was?

 

 

 

[les37b]

2 minutes ago, beaujolais said:

You are wrong Les.  We have docked a number of times at the main passenger terminal area with SS and also at Dorsoduro with various SS vessels

 

Ok my mistake... Ive never cruised SS from Venice, but have seen its more common to sail from the berth a short distance away. A bit like the berths in Barcelona and Livorno for example I guess.

 

Anyway, thanks for the correction. Should have said often doesn't!

[MBP&O2/O]

According to the news broadcast that I saw it was engine failure .... cruise law news is claiming the same but it may be jumping on the bandwagon?

https://www.cruiselawnews.com/

She seemed to be moving at a fair old speed when so near to the berth ... the facts will be interesting when they become known

[zigtraveller]

Reports here are that 5 women aged between 67 and 72 were injured as they tried to run away from the ship.  2 were Australian and 1 from New Zealand.  

[Lois R]

Good morning, there are a couple of threads about it over on the RIVER CRUISE FORUM.  I  am sailing on that River Boat that got hit......cruising in October......it is Uniworld's "River Countess".   Hopefully my cruise will go on as scheduled.

 

And very glad there were no fatalities!  It could have been way worse.

[TLCOhio]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Good morning, there are a couple of threads about it over on the RIVER CRUISE FORUM.  I  am sailing on that River Boat that got hit......cruising in October......it is Uniworld's "River Countess".   Hopefully my cruise will go on as scheduled.

And very glad there were no fatalities!  It could have been way worse.

 

Yes, there is much to consider and what is involved about Venice.  Hopeful things work out for Lois and others with upcoming cruises involving Venice.   It's an amazing city!!  But, its history and architecture creates unique challenges. 

 

Venice is in the news right now!!  But, not the best publicity and these issues raise added, future questions.  From the BBC this morning, they had this headline: “Venice crash captain ordered 'all procedures to avoid impact' ” with these story highlights: “A recording has emerged of the captain of a cruise ship describing an engine fault causing the vessel to crash into a tourist boat in Venice on Sunday.  In a conversation with the harbour master, the captain of the MSC Opera says that dropping two anchors was not enough because the engine was 'locked'.   'We have activated all possible procedures to avoid impact,'  he says.  The crash left four people hurt and has reignited calls to ban large vessels from the city's Giudecca canal.”

 

As to the government battles/debates, here is what was shared in this BBC story: "The incident has sparked a row between Italy's two ruling parties. Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini of the right-wing League party blamed the populist Five Star Movement for stifling progress to resolve the issue.  Speaking at a rally in Tivoli, Mr Salvini said a solution to prevent such accidents - the enlargement of part of the canal - had been developed and shared last year, but the plans had been blocked "because a 'no' was received from a ministry, and it was not a ministry of the League". The Five Star Movement said in response that "if the League has a plan to solve everything tomorrow, they should present it", adding that they had seen no proposal from the party."

 

Full story at:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48496412

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!  Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture.  This posting is now at 83,028 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

 

 

Here is the BBC graphic that shows the exact location where this crash happened in historic Venice.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

[Lois R]

Terry, I read a post over on the River Cruise forum that said The Uniworld river boat will be out of service until July 21st.

[TLCOhio]

8 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Terry, I read a post over on the River Cruise forum that said The Uniworld river boat will be out of service until July 21st.

 

Hopefully with that Uniworld river boat, things will be back to "normal" by your scheduled trip in October.  Clearly the much smaller ship got "creamed" by that big, BIG MSC ship.  Good luck!!  Keep us posted on progress, especially since you need to pay up fairly soon. Now, they can guess that all will be OK by late July.  BUT, in doing fixes, you do not know all of the damages until they open the internals up and discover the depth of the damages.   

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

SE Asia/Mekong River, Etc.!  Live/blog from early 2018, first adventure through SE Asia, stops in Hong Kong and Bangkok, before exploring all over Vietnam and Cambodia, seven days sailing on the Mekong River. Now at 46,876 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2591474

[MBP&O2/O]

Not MSC’s finest hour .....

MSC MATILDA was seen tilting in Liverpool2 dock on Friday (May 24). The docked MSC MATILDA at Liverpool2 which is reportedly carrying millions of pounds worth of goods,ran into trouble in the early hours of Friday morning (May 24). The coastguard sent lifeboats, tugs and a pollution response vessel out to the scene after being contacted by Peel Ports who operate the dock at Seaforth. The crew from the 20-year-old ship, which sails under the Panama flag, reportedly abandoned the vessel at 2am this morning, one witness told the ECHO. The same man said he thought the ship would "capsize" because of the way it was leaning over. A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "HM Coastguard was contacted by Peel Ports VTS at around 2.25am today (24 May) to report that a container vessel was listing just outside Gladstone Dock on the River Mersey." "Crosby Coastguard Rescue Team and the RNLI Hoylake all weather lifeboats have been sent to the scene, two tugs and a tier 2 pollution response vessel are on standby as a precautionary measure. MCA’s Duty Counter Pollution & Salvage Officer, Duty Surveyor and the Marine Accident Information Board have been informed. "All ship’s crew onboard are safe and well. ""The vessel is now reported to be back on an even keel following a ballast transfer with unloading due to commence The crew eventually returned to the ship at 8.30am once the vessel was righted. A spokesperson from Peel Ports said: “We can confirm at 2am this morning, Friday 24th May, a container vessel at the Port of Liverpool started to list. We immediately instigated the emergency response procedure under the leadership of the Group Harbour Master. A controlled and safe evacuation of the vessel was completed in the early hours of this morning whilst the vessel was under maritime assessment. “As of 08:00 the vessel was stable and maritime assessments by Port State Control are continuing. “The health and safety of our employees, customers and contractors remains our priority. In line with Maritime Law, State Control need to complete their inspections to ensure the vessel is sail worthy in UK and International waters.” The £400m Liverpool2 container terminal is part of the Port of Liverpool, owned by Peel Ports . Opened in 2016 it is best known for its giant red cranes and means Liverpool can now handle the world's biggest container ships. Source : Liverpool echo

[Daveywavey70]

Agreed MBP.

Wouldn't have liked to be on that one either!

You can see where they get their design inspiration from for their cruise ships!

 

[TLCOhio]

From the AP/USA Today earlier this week, they had this headline: “Venice, Budapest crashes renew debate on cruise ship safety, calls to restrict ships in Venice”  with these story highlights: “Cruise industry officials long insisted that ship accidents wouldn't happen in Venice's busy Giudecca Canal, saying guiding tugboats and technology ensured safety.  The 65,500-ton cruise ship that crashed into a much smaller riverboat docked along the canal on Sunday proved them wrong.  Italy's transport minister ordered the head of the Venice port to Rome on Monday to discuss the accident, while Venice's mayor called for rerouting the cruise ships from the heart of the fragile lagoon city, if not from the lagoon itself.  But environmental campaigners say the only legitimate response is an immediate ban on cruise ships from entering the lagoon. They allege that officials have dragged their feet on addressing the environmental and safety dangers of cruise liners in the seven years since the Costa Concordia capsized off the Tuscan coast, killing 32 passengers and crew members.”

 

Interesting article and questions??!!  I had kind of forgotten about that terrible Costa Concordia accident/tragedy affecting Italy so directly.  This article also update about the river boat . . . "in Budapest after colliding with a river cruise ship, leaving 10 people dead and another 18 missing."

 

Full story at:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2019/06/04/venice-budapest-cruise-ship-crashes-renew-debate-safety-danube/1338126001/

 

THANKS!   Terry in Ohio

 

Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Live/blog, June 2017 from Portugal to France along scenic Atlantic Coast.  Now at 28,849 views.  Many interesting pictures, details for history, food, culture, etc.:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

 

[les37b]

I’m certain that larger vessels are being banned in a few years with the construction of something near to Mestre, which ships the size of the Muse still being ok. Hoping this incident doesn’t affect those sizes and the ban isn’t brought forward. At least not before October. I’d be miffed if my start and end cruise is scuppered, though at least I did manage to sail past St Marco last October.