Large ships drifting close to rocks need to be able to drop their anchors
into deep water without the need for power. So concluded the British government鈥檚
Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents this week, in his report on the Braer
oil tanker disaster off Shetland last year. The Braer was unable to drop
anchor in heavy seas after it lost power, and eventually ran aground, discharging
85 000 tonnes of crude oil.
It was the eleventh largest oil spill in history, which the inspector
blamed principally on 鈥榮erious dereliction of duty鈥� by the captain of the
Liberian-registered vessel.
The inspector called on the Department of Transport to launch a research
programme into the safe lowering of anchors without power, and to push
for international law to require any feasible method to be fitted to ships.
The department says 鈥榓 good deal of research鈥� has already been done on the
subject.
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