The wind almost caused another incident in the port of Mar del Plata

The wind almost caused another incident in the port of Mar del Plata

The terrible wind conditions in the roadstead of the port of Mar del Plata caused the moorings to be cut on several inactive vessels on the northern breakwater. After some decent work by Remolcadores Mar del Plata, they managed to moor without major consequences.

As a result of the adverse weather conditions, especially due to the intense wind with gusts that reached 90 km/h, on Monday night there were moments of tension and concern in the Northern Breakwater of the Mar del Plata port.

Around the 20th hour, the local Prefecture became aware that two of the several inactive vessels that were in that place had cut their moorings, leaving them in an uncertain situation and position, especially considering that there were other vessels in the place and maybe with the still vivid memory of what happened decades ago with the “Marcelina de Ciriza”, later popularly called the “ghost ship”.

The ships in question –inactive for years– Sirius and Scobrus cut their moorings due to the strong prevailing wind.
After 8 p.m. this Monday, the PNA, after becoming aware of the situation, contacted those responsible for the company “Remolcadores Mar del Plata S.A.”, since two boats that were leaning on the shelter breakwater were “loose.”

One of the fears about the situation was that what once sailed under the name “Sinbad”, which is about to be transferred to the “Cristo Rey” underwater park, around the Punta Mogotes Lighthouse -on the sandbank -, which will soon be sunk in a controlled manner through extreme planning.

The local Prefecture quickly coordinated the movements to safeguard the vessels, together with the mentioned tugboat company, who, through its owner Sergio Di Nápoli, methodically coordinated the actions to follow.

Finally, they were able to determine, with the scarce natural light prevailing and illuminated by the boats and the few devices that work on the North Breakwater, which were the “Sirius” and the “Scombrus” (which were in the same line as the “Sinbad”).

“Luckily they leaned on the shelter breakwater, an area of stones, with the fear that some direction would be made, but apparently it did not affect anything on the hulls, at least until now (around noon on Tuesday), I have no news that water has entered” Di Nápoli told the Pescare portal.

“The two shipowners in charge of the boats were summoned. These are inactive ships that are out of service. The two came quickly, it should be noted that the response was immediate from them as well. For this situation we highlight the tug ‘Remarsa I’, in charge of Captain Javier Miranda, which approached, passed a rope in the bow, and began to pull” said the head of the company.

When asked if the maneuver was complicated, Di Nápoli told the portal that “it was difficult because it was stranded, that is, it was on the rocks, and after pulling for a long time, it ‘came free’ and was able to settle into the same position as was originally. More reinforcement ropes were passed to the bow and stern, completing the maneuver successfully.”

“The operation took around two hours, maybe a little more. As soon as the tug arrived, the Prefecture personnel were already in charge of the operation. We did a neat, serious, responsible job. By doing things this way there is no other result than positive and successful. We know the capacity of our people, but it is always good to highlight it, especially in the figure of Captain Javier Miranda, but ultimately the entire crew, because in those conditions it is very difficult and risky to work, and the boys did it spectacularly. Let’s think about the swell that there was, the swell, approaching ships that are all rusty, that are old iron. We lived through very tense moments, but experience and dedication made it successful concluded Sergio Di Nápoli.