Beware of Gigantics !
“If there was a first mistake, it was to think that a human creation was impervious to all forms of destruction, and the second was to be persuaded to also not develop a rescue solution in case of such a disaster,” says Pierre Bayard. “The Titanic will sink,” Editions de Minuit, Paris (France), October 2016.
Mega-cruisers like the MSC Meraviglia are the worst nightmare of maritime authorities and at-sea rescuers. Evacuating 7 to 8,000 people in case of a collision, fire, attack, or a shipwreck in high seas or at night is mission impossible. Ship owners do not even dare to practice this global drill in a sheltered and sunny bay. It is worth noting that in July 2016, Bermuda Islands, and in September 2016, 2 evacuation crewmen drills aboard the Norwegian Breakaway and the Harmony of the Seas (Marseille) have been marked by the sudden fall of 2 launchboats totalling 2 lives lost and 7 seriously injured.
Goodbye Deborah
The bow of the Belgian trawler bears the traces of the ramming for which she is responsible. Deborah cut like a blade the left side of the Hav Britannica. The 4 hold hatches went adrift, several tons of fuel too. From the very first moment, under French jurisdiction waters were at risk. At the time, the regional and professional press unanimously relying on official sources wrote that it was too late for a towing of the overturned wreck of the Maltese cargo ship.
The Before, After and Why of a Shipwreck in the English Channel
On the morning of 18 March 2018, the Belgian trawler Deborah (photo n°1) goes fishing in the Channel shipping lane, followed by more than 70,000 merchant ships and 500 million tonnes of hazardous cargos each year, a little as if a collector of greasy papers and mushrooms was working day and night on a motorway or at the edge of the emergency strip.
Beware of Gigantics !
“If there was a first mistake, it was to think that a human creation was impervious to all forms of destruction, and the second was to be persuaded to also not develop a rescue solution in case of such a disaster,” says Pierre Bayard. “The Titanic will sink,” Editions de Minuit, Paris (France), October 2016.
Mega-cruisers like the MSC Meraviglia are the worst nightmare of maritime authorities and at-sea rescuers. Evacuating 7 to 8,000 people in case of a collision, fire, attack, or a shipwreck in high seas or at night is mission impossible. Ship owners do not even dare to practice this global drill in a sheltered and sunny bay. It is worth noting that in July 2016, Bermuda Islands, and in September 2016, 2 evacuation crewmen drills aboard the Norwegian Breakaway and the Harmony of the Seas (Marseille) have been marked by the sudden fall of 2 launchboats totalling 2 lives lost and 7 seriously injured.
