# Collision off Rotterdam Saturday 29 August



## glasson

We sailed from Europort Saturday evening 2000 hours just before Midnight there was bad collision in the Maas Approach. One ship sunk and another on fire, which I think, was a British tank. I have looked all over the internet but could not find any information on the incident. As anyone any new on the incident please. 
Regards,
Terry


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## shamrock

I believe it will be the MSC Nikita and the Nirint Pride...

http://shipoftheday.blogspot.com/2009/08/msc-nikita-nirint-pride-collision-off.html


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## glasson

Thank you for the link.
Regards,
Terry


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## shamrock

Strangely enough, the Ipswich Evening Star has this report about the accident...

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/conten...=xDefault&itemid=IPED30 Aug 2009 14:44:30:240

Not alot of media cover on it other than this and the blogspot so far, but that might change as more details become apparent.


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## johdi

Here are some photo's of MSC Nikita after: it resembles MSC Napoli!!

http://scheepvaartnieuw.punt.nl/


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## shamrock

Scrolling down on that link are photo's of Nirint Pride...her bow looks decidedly mangled by the crash. Both ships appear to be very badly damaged. Nasty accident by the looks.


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## Billieboy

Nirint Pride looks like about twenty tons of steel, which will include a bit of the collision bulkhead. Of couse, the bulbous bow, (if any), will be excluded!

The other boat looks a little more serious, there is, of course, the "loss of earnings", clause which will cover an awful lot of sins by the time she sails again.


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## johdi

Yeah, more details of the Nirint Pride at the site of Binnenvaart.web-log.nl:
http://binnenvaart.web-log.nl/binnenvaart/2009/08/nirint-pride.html


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## shamrock

Can someone please explain how these two smacked each other when there are so many bits of technology and pairs of eyes that should have avoided it?

Nirint Pride's bow looks as if she rammed MSC Nikita up the stern (seeing as Nikita is down on her stern)....almost sea rage...I can only imagine the blue language on Nikita's bridge when Nirint Pride shunted her.


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## Billieboy

It's very unusual to get this sort of collision so close to the port, it's probable that neither had a pilot on board, MSC having just dropped and Nirint Pride about to pick up at Maasluis. 
Either MSC has a lot of ships, or lots of bad luck, as this is the second big casualty in North Europe in the last year!


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## ROBERT HENDERSON

Billyboy.
As master on coasters I made many voyages in and out of Rotterdam and never ever disembarked or embarked pilots at Massluis.
The incoming pilot station was South of the Maas Centre buoy, the outgoing pilot station to the North of the Maas Centre buoy.
Reading a Dutch report the collision occurred near an area described as the roundabout, which would be a long way out of the port of Rotterdam, more than likely near the North Hinder light ship.

Regards Robert


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## Frank P

shamrock said:


> Nirint Pride's bow looks as if she rammed MSC Nikita up the stern (seeing as Nikita is down on her stern)....almost sea rage...I can only imagine the blue language on Nikita's bridge when Nirint Pride shunted her.


Shamrock,

According to the report the Nirint Pride hit the MSC Nikita in the engine room.

Cheers Frank(Thumb)


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## Billieboy

ROBERT HENDERSON said:


> Billyboy.
> As master on coasters I made many voyages in and out of Rotterdam and never ever disembarked or embarked pilots at Maassluis.
> The incoming pilot station was South of the Maas Centre buoy, the outgoing pilot station to the North of the Maas Centre buoy.
> Reading a Dutch report the collision occurred near an area described as the roundabout, which would be a long way out of the port of Rotterdam, more than likely near the North Hinder light ship.
> 
> Regards Robert


Sorry Robert, I was thinking of the mud pilot, the pilot base is Maassluis. There was some comment years ago that every vessel had to have a pilot on board for the Maas, but I know that some of the feeder boxers could get a long way up the waterway with just their experienced Master on board, tonnage dependent of course. 

The point I was trying to make was that the collision was NOT pilot error, as there wouldn't have been one on board. I do know the area you refer to, as I've been out there many times getting on and off ships and also turning some big OBOs around during repairs where I've had to change berths from EMO Maasvlakte to the Europoort Iron Ore berth.

Regards


=Bill=


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## shamrock

Update on MSC Nikita & Nirint Pride crew...

http://bsanna-news.ukrinform.ua/newsitem.php?id=10222&lang=en


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## statement

Looking at the photos of the collision it begs the question, Short of the MSC Nikita being in full astern what speed was the Nirint Pride doing and who was on lookout on either vessel.

regards 

Tom


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## pensioner

Tom!! Does Rover suggest anything!!


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## johdi

The MSC Nikita has arrived in Rotterdam, some photos:
http://www.nieuwsbladtransport.nl/nieuws/id27034-Fotos_Gehavende_MSC_Nikita_in_Rotterdam.html

See also: http://koopvaardij.web-log.nl/koopvaardij/2009/09/gehavende-msc-n.html


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## shamrock

Going to be interesting getting the containers off her in a way as not to upset the already dodgy balancing act that she is doing with her stern so low in the water. Least they were able to get her into port though, that would have been a feat in itself...although having Smit on the doorstep, so to speak, may have been helpful.


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## Billieboy

*Rotterdam Port*



shamrock said:


> Going to be interesting getting the containers off her in a way as not to upset the already dodgy balancing act that she is doing with her stern so low in the water. Least they were able to get her into port though, that would have been a feat in itself...although having Smit on the doorstep, so to speak, may have been helpful.


Never a problem with casualties in Rotterdam. Boxers are even easier, as generally any dangerous cargo is up front on the top! Most people would never believe what can be done in the best port in the world!(Thumb)


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## johdi

On Youtube a spokesman of the Port Authority says the same salvage firm of the MSC Napoli will take off enough containers to partly refloat the MCS Nikita.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dio3sFq--Ug

From the Port Authority: 
http://www.portofrotterdam.com/en/news/pressreleases/2009/20090901_01.jsp


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## Billieboy

Park it down the end of the EMO jetty and use a floating crane or an unloader fitted with a spreader, should be a piece of cake for the salvage master with no weather,tide or seas to bother about. The boat could be a CTL, depends how bad the engineroom is.


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## johdi

Today, 2 september, the first containers were taken off, see link, scroll down 
to the end.
http://www.kustvaartforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3213&start=525


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## Coastie

johdi said:


> Today, 2 september, the first containers were taken off, see link, scroll down
> to the end.
> http://www.kustvaartforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3213&start=525



A nice link, thankyou for posting it, I'll keep an eye on that!!(Thumb)


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## Billieboy

*Salvage!*



johdi said:


> Today, 2 september, the first containers were taken off, see link, scroll down
> to the end.
> http://www.kustvaartforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3213&start=525


Nice one johdi, there are a few wizards down at Rozenburg, the UK thinks it's a police state? NOTHING moves in Rotterdam without there being a photo somewhere.(Thumb) 

FGI the MSC Nikita, is berthed in almost the same position as the, "Elwood Mede", when she was salvaged and brought in to discharge.(K)


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## 6283

Just wondering, maybe someone knows... Is the MSC Nikita a former Sea-Land vessel? She looks like one of their former D-9 class. 

Here's a couple...
http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/search.php?searchid=391269&cpage=2


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## shamrock

MSC Nikita was built/launched in 1980 at Sea-Land Independence, she became MSC Nikita in 2007.

Information courtesy of Miramar.


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## 6283

Thanks, Shamrock, for that info. I sailed aboard SeaLand Independence in 2004. She was owned by Maersk then and was on the Med to Persian Gulf shuttle.


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## shamrock

I assume that Nikita's age will go against her - along with the extent of damage done - when deciding if she can be saved or not?

Nirint Pride was built/launched in 2000 as CEC Atlantic and changed to Nirint Pride on 2003.


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## Billieboy

I'd say that she doesn't stand much of a chance ally, it will probably depend on the building subsidy agreement, although, at 39 it should have nearly run out of time now.

Nirint Pride seeems to have a bit more damade to the collission bulkhead than at first glance. the new steel tonnage may be as high as forty tonnes. Good job for someone in Rotterdam, probably about four weeks work.


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## shamrock

With ships being laid up it would be economic sense to scrap Nikita instead of repair her, I spose. Shame to lose an older ship but thesedays the companies have to make the figures add up, if she isn't a viable repair job, then she has to go to scrap...firms can't get emotional about ships anymore, they are just floating commodities. MSC Napoli was a 1991 ship, Nikita is a 1980, so time is very much against Nikita really. I wouldn't want to see MSC's insurance premiums though, they might be a tad scary.


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## K urgess

Having spent a few days wondering about the "collision of Rotterdam" with an unnamed object, I've edited the title a tad. (*))


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## shamrock

erm...maybe that should be off Rotterdam and not of Rotterdam...?


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## johdi

Billieboy said:


> Nirint Pride seeems to have a bit more damade to the collission bulkhead than at first glance. the new steel tonnage may be as high as forty tonnes. Good job for someone in Rotterdam, probably about four weeks work.


From an article at Schuttevaer.nl, 
http://schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/nid11923-containerschip-msc-nikita-aan-de-ketting.html 
it appears that the owner of the Nirint Pride has laid a claim on the MSC Nikita, the ship can not leave the port;
and the article says that the damage to the Nirint Pride could be 3 million EURO (about 4 million US dollar).

In the same article: Svitzer is vol lof over de autoriteiten die het aandurfden om de Nikita binnen te laten lopen. ‘Het is nog nooit vertoond dat een schip in zo'n toestand een haven wordt binnengebracht. De meeste landen zouden zo'n schip gewoon wegsturen.' 

Svitzer is very content with the authorities because they gave permission to bring Nikita to the port of Rotterdam. It has never occurred that a ship in that condition has been brought to a port. Most countries would simply send a ship [in that condition] away.


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## John Rogers

Some fine pictures on that web site.

John.


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## Billieboy

€3 Million seems a reasonable claim; as long as Nirint can prove Nikita at fault in front of the commissioner. As it is, with that as a basis claim against worth, Nikita is as good as a CTL. The underwriters can fight it out in London. 

So it seems that the underwater bow damage is a little more extensive. All in price of €60/kilo inclusive windlasses and other gear isn't excessive. It'll still take about four weeks, I understand that the Nirint Pride is being discharged in Moerdijk, only about 10Km from where I am, the blood's already stirring....


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## greektoon

Billieboy said:


> €3 Million seems a reasonable claim; as long as Nirint can prove Nikita at fault in front of the commissioner. As it is, with that as a basis claim against worth, Nikita is as good as a CTL. The underwriters can fight it out in London.
> 
> So it seems that the underwater bow damage is a little more extensive. All in price of €60/kilo inclusive windlasses and other gear isn't excessive. It'll still take about four weeks, I understand that the Nirint Pride is being discharged in Moerdijk, only about 10Km from where I am, the blood's already stirring....



Don't know the details but a 3 mill claim will be substantially commercial loss. The damage repairs will be somewhat less. The steel work will not figure at 60 euro / kilo, way too much. You can not lump in the mooring machinery on a weight per kilo basis. I don't see evidence of damage extending aft of the collision bulkhead but of course I don't know actual extent of damage aft or below the waterline. Bow construction will be more expensive and time consuming due to curvature of plating and frames. They will crop off / pre-fabricate a new fore end.


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## johdi

Also some pictures on cargolaw.com:
http://www.cargolaw.com/2009nightmare_nakita.html


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## Billieboy

*Ball Parks?*



greektoon said:


> Don't know the details but a 3 mill claim will be substantially commercial loss. The damage repairs will be somewhat less. The steel work will not figure at 60 euro / kilo, way too much. You can not lump in the mooring machinery on a weight per kilo basis. I don't see evidence of damage extending aft of the collision bulkhead but of course I don't know actual extent of damage aft or below the waterline. Bow construction will be more expensive and time consuming due to curvature of plating and frames. They will crop off / pre-fabricate a new fore end.


They are, "Ball-park", figures Greektoon, they couldn't be anything else, six weeks off hire, dry dock, cables re-run after fire damage, special cleaning crew for bunker tanks foward, I could go on and on... I was wondering who had arrested the MSC Nikita, it was the only thing to do under the cir***stances; old rule of last man standing being wide awake, as the sun comes up, and the opposition is carried off to bed.


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## greektoon

Always going to be ball park from where we are standing Billie. Did she catch fire?


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## Billieboy

There were reports of a fire on board just after the collision and release from Nikita, possibly fuel and or hydraulic oils igniting, the ship's crew handled the fire without assistance from firefighting tugs who were quickly on the scene.

BTW as you are where you are, do you happen to know Dai Shallis, he's a freelance Engineer, has worked for LR and ABS in Piraeus, he's a very old mate of mine.


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## johdi

From the same site and page at kustvaartforum, link http://www.kustvaartforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3213&start=525
there has been an update with photos from JAN OOSTERBOER taken 4 september.
The stern reappears after the containers were taken off, is just visible again.

In a Dutch article at nieuwsbladtransport, 
http://www.nieuwsbladtransport.nl/nieuws/id27080-Lef_behoedde_kust_voor_ramp.html
An spokesman of the salvors stated that the quick reaction saved the MSC Nikita. If they had not obtained the permission to bring in the ship in Rotterdam, it was very likely that the MSC Nikita had sunk and maybe broken.
He especially gives credits to the port authorities and Coast Guard because they have taken the risk and also made that decision on very short notice.
In the same article he says that 7 containers went overboard [a Dutch word I think, in Dutch it is ''overboord''].
See for retrieving the overboard containers the link (photos 3 to 5 from above)
http://scheepvaartnieuws.punt.nl/?gr=780432


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## Billieboy

*Salvage fallout?*

Thanks Jhodi, It's also interesting to note that the owner of MSC Nikita was the first to impound the vessel, this arrest means that the case will be heard in a local German court, as under new EU rules the first arrest fixes the venue for the case to be heard. 

It really was a very smart bit of salvage, it's assumed that Nikita had a fairly large load of HFO on board, so if she'd sunk, with the weather in the area as it has been in the last week, then there would have been a possible pollution disaster equal to the Torrey Canyon, all the way up the North Europe coast from Rotterdam. 

The salvage company and Rotterdam Harbour Master should get an environmental medal, for taking the decision to bring her into the port, they must have saved underwriters tens of millions of Euros.(Thumb)

P.S. The, "Missing Link", floating crane that is discharging the containers, is the same crane used to fit the patch on, "Tribulus", in Ireland when the side fell out of the ballast hold.


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## greektoon

Billieboy said:


> There were reports of a fire on board just after the collision and release from Nikita, possibly fuel and or hydraulic oils igniting, the ship's crew handled the fire without assistance from firefighting tugs who were quickly on the scene.
> 
> BTW as you are where you are, do you happen to know Dai Shallis, he's a freelance Engineer, has worked for LR and ABS in Piraeus, he's a very old mate of mine.



I know Dai very well. We have worked together on a few jobs.


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## Billieboy

*Dai Shallis*



greektoon said:


> I know Dai very well. We have worked together on a few jobs.


Please pass on very best regards fron Bill and Marleen in Holland. Ask him about a box of electric motors off Las Palmas.

Many thanks in advance

=Bill Woodham=


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## johdi

In the local paper, bndestem, of Moerdijk, the home port of Nirint Pride, is a photo of the ship after unloading her containers.
http://74.125.77.132/search?q=cache...e+msc+nikita+gelost&cd=31&hl=nl&ct=clnk&gl=nl

NB: only a link via google, the article is not on the site of bndestem.nl


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## Billieboy

Looking at the very good photo in Jhodi's latest link, it seems that a number of tripping brackets have tripped! The bulbous bow must have acted as a ram punching a meter plus diameter hole in the Nakita's engine room, must have been a shock for anyone on the bottom plates! 

From the ripples in the hull on the port side of #1 hatch, it looks like the steelwork could go up to seventy tonnes.


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## johdi

Thanx Billieboy. 
The MSC Nikita has been towed to the Delta Terminal of ECT in the weekend. The salvors used a sheerleg.
The damage of the ship can be seen, there are photos at the site of Nieuwsblad Transport:
http://www.nieuwsbladtransport.nl/nieuws/id27120-Gehavende_MSC_Nikita_vervoerd_naar_ECT_fotos.html
Photos of the ship and sheerleg, see the site of shiphunter.be, scroll to the news of 5-9-2009:
http://www.ship-hunters.be/News reports/News from this month.htm

As said by Billieboy, the collision must be awful when you see the damage

From an other article at the site of Nieuwsblad Transport: MSC Nikita is cleared a constructive total loss. 9 sept the ship will be towed to Keppel Verolme to do some repair and then the ship will be broken up they think.
http://www.nieuwsbladtransport.nl/nieuws/id27121-MSC_Nikita_total_loss.html


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## Billieboy

Many thanks for the links with the exceptional photographs Jhodi. As expected the MSC Nikita is a CTL, there will have to be a bit of clever patching done to get the salvaged hull to the breakers.


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## johdi

On the site portpictures.nl, chose maritime disasters, you can find many more photos of the MSC Nikita.
The photographer, Danny Cornelissen, works also in the port, so he can sometimes takes photos other persons cannot.
He has put on his site about 50 (fifty!!) details photos of the ship, e.g. the engineroom and so on, see pages 2 & 3!!
no direct links permitted, so I name only the site.
PS: see first photo of page 3 and you can see the total damage done!!


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## Billieboy

Great site Jhodi, many thanks. Very interesting rig to empty part of the engine room by lifting the stern of Nakita with the Matador sheer-legs. Very smart thinking by the salvage master. I remember using a smaller Matador to lift the port windlass from the Rapana, prior to lifting the HP turbine rotor the next day. The topping jib had to be "let out" a bit on the back stays, unfortunately a pin failed and the topping jib fell on the F'csl, the master was NOT amused! Next day with a new crane everything was sorted out.


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## johdi

Today the MSC Nikita has been towed to Keppel Verolme. Spotter Jan Oosterboer from Rozenburg has taken several photos of the transport: the MSC Nikita, 4 tugs and the sheerlegs Matador
see the link, scroll down to 9-9-2009
http://www.kustvaartforum.com/viewt...id=d43bf2491e0c65d413ba3e9dce381251&start=540

I think it is one of the fastest salvage in recent history: from full speed at sea to repair dock in just 10 days!


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## greektoon

Well done to the Port of Rotterdam, living up to their own high standards.


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## shamrock

They have certainly done really well in recovering both vessels and getting them to safety so quickly.


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