Strange
things happen at Sea !!! Collision is
the act of colliding; a coming violently into contact; crash. A collision is an
isolated event in which two or more bodies (colliding bodies) exert relatively
strong forces on each other for a relatively short time. Collisions involve
forces and there is a change in velocity. In traffic such a collision can be
between two vehicles, a vehicle and a person, a vehicle and an object, two
persons or a person and an object (and more if an animal is involved). It is an
accident or even a disaster.
There
is lawless on the road, people drive mad ~ with various categories of vehicles trying to
rule the little space. You see so many
accidents on road, and when you sit in beach enjoying the breeze and waves of
the Sea, you tend to think that in the serene atmosphere – accidents are
unlikely…… no, there are collisions at sea too and there are near misses too… depending upon the size and speed, damage
occurs and sometimes fatal too. The International Maritime Organization(IMO)
has set out the navigation rules to be followed by the ships ~ the
International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972. Although rules
for navigating vessels inland may differ, the international rules specify that
they should be as closely in line with the international rules as possible.
There are well codified rules and laws, still collisions do occur.
The
Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the
Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of
construction, it allows ships to travel between Europe and eastern Asia without
navigating around Africa thereby reducing the sea voyage distance between
Europe and India by about 7,000 kilometres.
On Sept. 29, 2014, two massive
container ships slowly collided at the mouth of the Suez Canal, prompting
delays along the heavily trafficked route. The vessels involved were reported to be : German-flagged
MV Colombo Express and the Singaporean-flagged MV Maersk Tanjong. In the video that is now seen in social media,
people can be heard shouting off-camera
as the two vessels gradually crash.
According
to news reports, the two vessels were moving side by side when Colombo Express appears to have veered to its left suddenly during an apparent attempt to
overtake the Maersk Tanjong. Three shipping containers from Colombo Express fell into the water as a result of the impact,
and the Colombo Express was also left with a 65-foot dent. No casualities were reported. It's unclear what caused the Colombo Express
to change course. Both ships have been
moored while an investigation is underway, according to a statement from
Inchcape Shipping Services.
In
an age, when navigation is done with advanced communication equipments, it
appears strange that a super tanker was missed to be seen and a collision
occurred.
With
regards – S. Sampathkumar
6th
Oct. 2014.
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