Professional Mariner magazine is reporting that investigators are still trying to determine what damaged the rudder of a ship that ran aground in the Houston Ship Channel this summer.
On July 14, the British-flagged
Isabel Knutsen, a 523-foot chemical tanker that was headed outbound, lost steerage, pulled to port, exited the deep draft channel and then ran aground. It remained stuck for two days near buoys 25 and 26 where the channel intersects the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Galveston.
Two attempts to refloat it by deploying tugs—once at high tide—failed. Cargo was shifted and the vessel was dislodged the following evening.
A dive inspection at the Galveston anchorage revealed damage to the top of the Becker-type rudder flap. Moreover, the actuator link system pins were missing. Becker rudders have a flap that increases the force and angle of a turn for close-quarters, slow speed maneuvering.
The Coast Guard does not believe the damage occurred during the grounding.
The ship was towed to a Freeport, Bahamas yard. As of late September, the rudder still had not been repaired.
The ship is owned by Knutsen Kjemikalie Tanker V KS of Norway and operated by Knutsen OAS Shipping AS of Haugesund, Norway.
Source: Professional Mariner
Category: General
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