The idle musings of a former military man, former computer geek, medically retired pastor and now full-time writer. Contents guaranteed to offend the politically correct and anal-retentive from time to time. My approach to life is that it should be taken with a large helping of laughter, and sufficient firepower to keep it tamed!
The EDMUND FITZGERALD, the MARINE ELECTRIC and the EL FARO all had three things in common- piss poor maintenance, non-viable lifeboats and the willing cooperation of the American Bureau of Shipping to send their crews to their death rather than cost the shipowners money by forcing them to maintain their ships (which is their job). It's enough to make one cynical. The ABS continued pencil-whipping class inspections until shipowner Morton Bouchard killed his second crew just 4 years ago when it came out that one of the dead men had confronted an ABS inspector weeks before the explosion and pointed out the cargo tanks leaking gasoline into the machinery spaces.
Last year The owners of the El Faro were rewarded for killing the most merchant mariners in a single incident since WWII by getting the management contract to oversee construction of the new $1 Billion fleet of training and disaster relief ships for the Maritime Administration.
And the Marine Electric? The owners sold out and the successor company, Crowley, has a good safety record, happily.
All ships today are required to have self-righting enclosed lifeboats that can survive being capsized and submerged, because a 25-foot lifeboat isn't likely to to survive a large storm. The Edmund Fitzgerald sunk before this became law, sadly. These 3 ships did not have enclosed lifeboats. A 'Grandfather' clause allows owners of old shitbox ships to save money and just pay the death benefits when they sink rather than the upkeep of fancy lifeboats.
Was living in Duluth MN at that time, the news reports and the Coast Guard search, what that ship and crew went through, RIP men.
ReplyDeleteThe EDMUND FITZGERALD, the MARINE ELECTRIC and the EL FARO all had three things in common- piss poor maintenance, non-viable lifeboats and the willing cooperation of the American Bureau of Shipping to send their crews to their death rather than cost the shipowners money by forcing them to maintain their ships (which is their job).
ReplyDeleteIt's enough to make one cynical.
The ABS continued pencil-whipping class inspections until shipowner Morton Bouchard killed his second crew just 4 years ago when it came out that one of the dead men had confronted an ABS inspector weeks before the explosion and pointed out the cargo tanks leaking gasoline into the machinery spaces.
Last year The owners of the El Faro were rewarded for killing the most merchant mariners in a single incident since WWII by getting the management contract to oversee construction of the new $1 Billion fleet of training and disaster relief ships for the Maritime Administration.
And the Marine Electric? The owners sold out and the successor company, Crowley, has a good safety record, happily.
All ships today are required to have self-righting enclosed lifeboats that can survive being capsized and submerged, because a 25-foot lifeboat isn't likely to to survive a large storm. The Edmund Fitzgerald sunk before this became law, sadly.
These 3 ships did not have enclosed lifeboats. A 'Grandfather' clause allows owners of old shitbox ships to save money and just pay the death benefits when they sink rather than the upkeep of fancy lifeboats.