Video Footage of ‘Wan Hai 176’ Under Tow From Point Reyes
Last weekend’s towing operation of the 564-ft container ship Wan Hai 176 was a big undertaking. But it wasn’t until we saw this video that we understood the precariousness and difficulty of the recovery.
Video credit: Mike Peery of Baydelta Maritime’s Delta Deanna.
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WOW, what a brave and professional crew(s) to perform this recovery! Congratulations on a job well done!!
GREAT footage, thanks. A text book evolution. It is challenging and difficult work, but I wouldn’t say “precarious”. The crews on both vessels knew what they were doing, and the conditions were challenging but far from extreme. This type of work takes place more often than you might think, and sometimes in very horrific conditions when filming is impracticable. Well done to both crews and all the operators.
Thanks for the feedback John. Perhaps for those who do it often it is not precarious, but when watching, there are so many places and times in which things could go wrong. Thankfully the people who do this kind of work are experienced. Presumably they are well trained to begin with and always act in the safest possible manner.
Watching them launch the pilot line up to the freighter from what seemed like a very short distance looked precarious enough to me! Yes – they’re all pros, but out in the ocean anything could happen, like a rogue wave or a rudder malfunction… and it could get deadly. Kudos to those who do this day in and day out.
Many thanks for posting this Monica ! It is high time that people realize what these tug operators and crews face quite often. Standing on the stern of that tug when approaching the bow of that pitching ship is not for the faint of heart. We on Point Reyes were very concerned, and there was not nearly enough news coverage of it.
Did anyone get the irony of the Black Sabbath song Iron Man being used as a soundtrack here? That song is a criticism of industrial civilization.
Highly skilled and dangerous work skillfully executed. Thank you to the crew for protecting the beaches of Point Reyes from what could have been a major environmental disaster.
kudos to my former AmNav crewmates. well done.
Well done, indeed.
Hard to believe that that lead tug could pull that freighter outside the Gate. I was also thinking of the cable to chain splicing… great job.
Good job Shawn and company!
Thanks Mark! Wow it is so cool (and rare) to see so many positive comments online, I will share everyones words with the crews…trust me they were working hard out there and at one point when I asked how things were going the reply was just a photo of the anemometer reading 59.6 KT TWS…
Execellent! sound track gets 2 thumbs up
Nice to see Delta Billie out there!