Russian ship ‘escapes’

Press, 20 May 1981, Page 6

Russian ship ‘escapes’

■ ..V- .--'---S' ,— / ■- ./ A Russian fishing vessel; 7 the Terney, is l towed out of. the -Lyttelteu graving dobk. last evening ufter it; failed to centre, on; the blocks /in the dock. Three Fire Service en-. gincs had to pump > soothe '/caisson blocking the dock could be., /refloated .’and<o,.? vessel. towed, to safety? (•? . The 254« ; loniic- . Russian fishing vesscl had a narrowescape 1 from keeling over. . ’/■The,; £lrey Service; engines • worked to .piimp ' about .’24o' .tonnes .pl„. water from;~the? caisson ,at ; the’. dock. ' The. /move was successful,'and the - *?' ' if-

vessel was berthed safely in ••. the Harbour. >. - /Thc/problem began when: / .the vessel went into'the dock - ; at3.3op,m> fbr repairs to a damaged'propeller guard. . “For someunknown tea*/ .? son-the .vessel’s keel would : not centre over the blocks at / .'the dock,” said the Harbour/: i Master Captain J;j A. Bar. .Spur,Mast, evening.' ' .:;/:■' ;: : Because the ship could.'not M be centred it would have// keeled oyer when the water drained out of the 1 graving / ? ■?, dock with the; tide,, he . “To prevent this, we had t 0.,. pump the water out of the.

caisson refloat it, , and get it WWpf. Captain : Barbour said. , &, - , ■ - ■ "•,'/' ' :./This theTcrney was towed out of the dock by a Harbour Board tug, the Godley. - An investigation into the ‘impediment , oji: the vessel's, ; bottom will, be held today./ This was a “very rare” occurrence,': Captain Barbour/ said. A Fire Service spokesman said that ■■ he believed it was 3;jh^:fi«teflme/' ; lh/45X-y!ears? . that the service had. attended such an incident. -.iV.':.//. ;