Floating Debris

2

260DA

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Joined
Oct 23, 2006
RO Number
24008
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38
What is a captains obligation / responsibility regarding dangerous floating debris either inside or outside a channel. Should one notify CG, harbormaster or what?

Anthony
2006 260 Sundancer
"Angela Marie"
 
If its that dangerous issue a Securite radio call with type of debris and position.
 
I don't think the CG is gonna complain too much if you let them know. What the reg's & statutes are, I don't know. After hitting a partially submerged, or floating, piece of piling once, I know I always pick that stuff up if I can so someone else doesn't lose a prop or worse. Besides, driftwood makes neat coffee table decorations and burns pretty in the fireplace!
 
yes, report it to the nearest Coast Guard Station so that they may include it in their "Notice to Mariners" broadcast.
 
if it's something dangerous, a securite call is appropriate and a call to the USCG. around here, they often re broadcast such reports usually pilings or offshore.. containers.
 
Keep a continuous forward lookout and slow down when there is debris in the water. But even if you can't see it, it can be there submerged and waiting for you!
 
The CG will be fine with anything that can help in safety. I questioned that last year when I called in an Ocean Sunfish sunning in the channel, and they were very appreciative. Their tender was out there in minutes.
 
What is a Securite radio call?

Anthony
2006 260 Sundancer
"Angela Marie"
 
http://www.dropanchorhere.com/refer/pages/vhfcalls.html Good summary which includes Securite.
 
"Do not forget to turn on the power, and the radio"

THIS I WOULD THINK WOULD BE CRITICAL...
 
yzer, I've got one of those shirts, but I sure won't throw it into the water to mark a hazard! It is too much fun to wear on opening day or poker runs or raft outs!
 
If you're at sea, anywhere in the world, then this situation is covered by SOLAS Ch.V Reg. 31:

quote:
1. The master of every ship which meets with dangerous ice, a dangerous derelict, or any other direct danger to navigation, or a tropical storm, or encounters sub-freezing air temperatures associated with gale force winds causing severe ice accretion on superstructures, or winds of force 10 or above on the Beaufort scale for which no storm warning has been received, is bound to communicate the information by all means at his disposal to ships in the vicinity, and also to the competent authorities. The form in which the information is sent is not obligatory. It may be transmitted either in plain language (preferably English) or by means of the International Code of Signals.
2. Each Contracting Government will take all steps necessary to ensure that when intelligence of any of the dangers specified in paragraph 1 is received, it will be promptly brought to the knowledge of those concerned and communicated to other interested Governments.
3. The transmission of messages respecting the dangers specified is free of cost to the ships concerned.
4. All radio messages issued under paragraph 1 shall be preceded by the safety signal, using the procedure as prescribed by the Radio Regulations as defined in regulation IV/2.
Click to expand...
 
While we have yet to see a floating container at sea we have heard radio position fixes given for them. From what I understand the numbers of containers lost overboard are huge world wide and while most sink I have heard that as many as 5% float for weeks at a time. Believe me if you hit one with a plastic boat be prepared to get into your life raft as your boat is heading to the bottom.
This is one of our bigger fears as these containers are all but invisible even in the daylight and they can be just under the surface. Hit one at 10 to 14 knots (or more if we are surfing down a swell) and glug, glug, glug down she goes.

SeaQuest OE
Anchored at Rum Cay - Enjoy life while you can because tomorrow is never guaranteed
 
quote:
Originally posted by TigerPaws

While we have yet to see a floating container at sea....
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We nailed this one off the coast of Cape Breton in the early 80's. Two freighters collided and the "Berglund" a container ship sunk. This container was a refer filled with, of all things, cheese whiz! Luckily we were on a 2000 tonne icebreaker/buoytender. :o)

container-1.jpg


container-2.jpg
 
quote:
While we have yet to see a floating container at sea we have heard radio position fixes given for them. From what I understand the numbers of containers lost overboard are huge world wide and while most sink I have heard that as many as 5% float for weeks at a time. Believe me if you hit one with a plastic boat be prepared to get into your life raft as your boat is heading to the bottom.
This is one of our bigger fears as these containers are all but invisible even in the daylight and they can be just under the surface. Hit one at 10 to 14 knots (or more if we are surfing down a swell) and glug, glug, glug down she goes.
Click to expand...


There was a case just last weekend of a yacht losing her keel and capsizing 1.5 miles offshore on the south coast of England - four people were rescued, but unfortunately the fifth lost his life (if you go overboard without a survival suit anywhere around the UK at this time of year, your life expectancy is about 15-20 minutes due to hypothermia). I believe the MAIB are conducting an investigation, but preliminary reports are that she must have hit a submerged object, probably a container.
 
teadaemon,

We have heard of several yachts going down for unknown reasons and the crew thought they struck something but they were in the middle of the ocean or far off-shore. Submerged containers are a bigger problem than many want to admit to, personally when we are at sea especially at night this is one of the many things that keep me up late.

SeaQuest OE
Anchored at Rum Cay - Enjoy life while you can because tomorrow is never guaranteed
 
last year, the CG station Miami was relaying a broadcast of 8 40' container that had just fallen off a vessel a few miles off Miami, at night.

up until about 10 or 15 years ago, it was common practice on many caribbean island to dump trash in the sea. i once almost hit a fridge.. these things dont sink since they;re full of insulation. towed it a mile back into port.
 
quote:
260DA
What is a Securite radio call?

Anthony
2006 260 Sundancer
"Angela Marie"

Click to expand...


Sorry for not getting right back to you.

Securite
[quote}From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When a marine radio transmission begins with Sécurité, sécurité, sécurité (pronounced [#642;#603;kj#649;#640;#618;te], after the French word), it means that what follows is important safety information. The most common use of this is by coast radio stations before the broadcast of navigational warnings and meteorological information.

It is normal practice to broadcast the Sécurité call itself on a distress and listening frequency such as VHF Channel 16 or MF 2182 kHz, and then change frequency to a working channel for the body of the messages.

Although mostly used by coast radio stations, there is nothing to stop individual craft broadcasting their own Sécurité messages where appropriate, for example, a yacht becalmed (rendered motionless for lack of wind), or any vessel adrift or unable to maneuver near other craft or shipping lanes.

Mayday, pan-pan, securite

Of the three distress and urgency calls, Sécurité is the least urgent, after Mayday (grave and imminent danger to life or to the vessel, requiring immediate assistance) and Pan-pan (emergency on board but no immediate danger to anyone's life or to the vessel itself).
[/quote]

Example usage

Typically I would call the CG on 16 1st with something like:
ME:Coast guard Sector DelBay, Coast guard Sector DelBay, this is Principal Distraction on channel one-six over.
CG:Principal Distraction, CG Sector Delaware Bay on one-six. Go Ahead over.
ME:Sector Delaware, Principal Distraction. Be aware that there is a large piece of dock floating in the channel in the vicinity of Horseshoe Bend, over.
CG:Principal Distraction, CG Sector Delaware Bay, Rodger Captain. Thank you for your report, this is CG Sector Delaware Bay, out.

A few minutes later they would announce something really close to this on 16
"Securite, Securite, Securite. Hello all stations, Hello All Stations, Hello all Stations. This is Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay. The CG has received a report of a large floating piece of dock in the channel in the vicinity of Horseshoe Bend. Vessels transiting the area are urged to proceed with caution, maintain a sharp lookout and report all sightings to US Coast Guard. This is Sector Delaware Bay out."

Now if I couldn't reach the CG I would issue the securite message myself.
 
quote:
Originally posted by KnottyBuoyz

quote:
Originally posted by TigerPaws

Click to expand...
This container was a refer filled with, of all things, cheese whiz!
container-1.jpg


Click to expand...


Cheez Whiz???? That is definately a hazardous material!!!!

Seriously though, if the container isn't below the surface, will radar pick it up? or must it be visually sighted?
 
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