Internet Newsletter

From The 90 Day Yacht Club Guide to Ensenada

March/April 2006

Volume 4 , Number 3/4

A true traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arrival®

True Traveler Publishing

P.O. Box 60023

San Diego, CA 92166

Phone:

(619) 857-0368  

E-mail:

sitka@truetraveler.com  

A TYPICALLY LAZY MEXICAN BEACH

NOW WITH A FLURRY OF ACTIVITY

Container Ship Grounding Update

2-8-2006

The beginning of the month of February saw a new flurry of activity on that usually lazy Mexican beach typically inhabited by sand pipers, surfers, and wild speeding ATV riders. As February convened at the APL Panama grounding site, salvors commissioned a 500-foot rock-and-sand ramp and hired a giant crawler crane to carry containers ashore. Weighed down by cargo and pinned in by sand, the 885-foot vessel has refused to leave the broad sandy beach where it ran aground on a chilly stormy waved Christmas night, now almost seven weeks ago as of the 1^st of February The Baja California construction company Amaya Curiel y Cia S.A. de C.V. built the jetty. Company President Roberto Curiel said today the 300-ton crawler crane, with a 250-foot boom, began working around the clock, moving up to 60 containers per day. It is interesting to note that this is the same Curiel group that owns and manages the Coral Marina where this Captain is now publishing this new newsletter on the sailing yacht Sitka.

Leaders of the salvage effort had hoped they wouldn't have to resort to the costly land-based operation. They initially relied on a Sikorsky skyhook helicopter to remove some of the lighter containers from the ship. But many of the boxes weigh more than the helicopter's 9,000 pound carrying capacity. Titan Maritime executives have told local officials that they are also hoping to bring in a more powerful helicopter, a Russian-made Mil-25 to lift the heavy containers. But the helicopter had yet to make an appearance today. Capt. Jose Luis Rios Hernandez, Ensenada's harbor master, said renewed pulling efforts are expected during the next few days. Salvage workers must not only remove cargo, but also find ways to remove the sand that is trapping the vessel. Meanwhile, the delay has had its consequences in central Mexico. Nissan was missing parts that were in about 100 containers, and as a result, did not produce vehicles on Jan 30, 31 and Feb 1 at its 5,000-employee facility in Aguascalientes, said Fred Standish, director of corporate communications for Nissan North America Inc.  

 On the 8^th of February I again breached security and walked right down to the waters edge and the newly installed rock and dirt ramp and the huge crawler crane that has been stationed aside the ship in order to offload containers onto a series of arriving container carrying trucks. Security is now very tight at the checkpoints around the perimeter of the ship rescue staging area, but with the little number of Police manpower assigned to the area, it is impossible to protect all routes of entry.  Interestingly I walked right down the middle of the operation as if I belonged there and no one challenged me for credentials. The crane swung each container over to a waiting truck, where a worker maneuvered it into place. From one who has snuck into Formula One compounds, this was easy- notice the blue APL container I got photos of from far far away is a prominent subject of the truck photos I got 20 minutes later, the beautiful face of the Policia guy, and the visiting group of red uniformed school children. You will also notice that there is a tanker truck now allowed to get close enough to the ship to receive the oil fouled bilge salt water caused by the sea water that is daily seeping into the hull through the crack in the hull.

The next highest tide is in 4 days during the full moon - which will be the next big push to get the ship off the beach - but it is a low high tide of only 5.8 feet as opposed to the 6.9 feet two weeks ago. Notice in the photos, the crane can only get the containers off half the ship, because it can’t reach the containers on the other side… making this ship dangerously apt to pitch and flip over if floated… The Sikorski skyhook could only carry the smaller containers, as its load limit is 9 tons. This crane can accommodate the remaining containers, the largest of which are 22 ½ tons, and these are 40 feet long. I know a local yachtsman that does tile work in Las Vegas- he can only import his tile up to a weight of 22 ½ tons- which means he can only fill the 40 foot container up to 80% full, the rest is filler to stabilize the tile in the container.

I have received e-mails from all over the planet asking just what is going on down there on that Mexican beach as the news blackout has been stifling, and the lack of current news silence deafening. An e-mail enquiry to me from Australia from a company that has a container full of frozen meat aboard informed me that the ship loss has been declared “general average”, by the insurers. What is this general average? After a quick Google I came up with…

          “An ocean marine loss that occurs through the voluntary sacrifice of a part of the vessel or cargo, or an expenditure, to safeguard the vessel and its remaining cargo from a common peril. If the sacrifice is successful, all interests at risk contribute to the loss borne by owner of the sacrificed property based on their respective saved values. A party can insure their portion of such a loss under an ocean marine policy.”

This is just one of many repercussions that are being experienced downstream now as the timeline since the ships grounding is lengthened. The above mentioned Mexican production of thousands of cars at Nissan's plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico, stalled after the APL Panama, which is carrying crucial auto components ran aground. A union leader said... "Given the situation, the plant must call a mandatory three-day 'technical strike,' beginning this past Monday and running through today, so that as of tomorrow, operations can normalize, allowing the 5,000 (Nissan) workers to continue to assemble 1,000 cars a day," Gabriel Jasso, secretary general of the Nissan workers union said.

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Container Ship Grounding Update

2-12-2006

It has been revealed by very reliable sources that the ship is indeed cracked as reported in the last Newsletter. Environmental response teams remain on 24-hour standby to ensure that no damage is caused to the local environment. The group that manages the environmental team has been put on notice that if and when the ship is again floated, that there will be a leak of oil from the hull. Right now that leak is being managed by the impacted sand as the ship lies helplessly on the beach. When the ship is again put out to sea, that sand will fall away and the ruptured hull will let loose of the now fouled bilge water. The vessels owners continue to work in close cooperation with the Mexican authorities in order to remove the vessel in a safe and manageable manner from the beach. Here are the photos of the rescue attempt on the 12^th of February during the full moon high tide, following photos of the low tide sunset the night before. This was a low high tide of only 5.8 feet as opposed to the 6.9 feet two weeks ago during the new moon. The buried prop and rudder simply won’t permit the freeing of the ship from the beach. During the weekends attempts a movement of the bow out to sea has the ship’s angle to the beach now at approximately at 75 degrees. There are still too many containers on board and the area around the stern needs to be dredged of the huge sand accumulation that has shackled the ship to this lazy Mexican Playa.

Container Ship Grounding Update

2-18-2006

Below are a set of photos taken the afternoon of the 18^th of February. The work being performed in an effort to unload the containers has accelerated exponentially. Two more cranes have been employed, one actually placed on the ship at the center of the ships length. A truck arrives and a container is there waiting- and if a truck does not arrive the containers are stacked two or three high to wait on the beach until the next truck arrives. Notice that the most effort to clear the containers from the ship was made over the center line of the ship, no doubt in a hope to relieve the strain on the crack in the hull reportedly in that area. These two additional cranes were needed because the original crane could not reach all the containers aboard. Also, notice the plan seems to be that the remaining containers will be left on the bow for the next high tide rescue attempt to cause the ship to hobby horse forward of center, or go bow down as the bow floats in the deeper water, causing the stern to rise and hopefully free itself from the sand. The previous statement would be giving the salvage team too much credit for smarts at this point as I think the water out at the bow at this juncture is too deep and a further ramp lengthening of greater material and manpower is either not now economically time possible or too expensive to deploy. My Mexican friends have quipped that the ramp to the ship is just a precursor of the entry needed to the future restaurants and curio shops to be realized once the ship is stripped and abandoned by the ship's owners...

The high tide next week on Monday February 27^th during new moon is a high of 6.5 feet and that will be a 4 day period before and after that date of tides higher than the last high tide of 5.8 feet. Obviously that is the target date to float the ship as all full ahead with maximum steam is being shown by this massive 24-hour a day effort to decrease the weight on the ships decks. Hopefully at that time we will see this ship returned to the sea and then safely to a shipyard for the repairs necessary to get her out on the great blue highway delivering goods to the planet once again.

Container Ship Grounding Update

2-21-2006

Just where are your containers and when will they be delivered? Amazingly, most of you don’t have a clue as I continue to get e-mail appeals from all over the world asking what may be happening with the cargo addressed to these shipping companies that now await their shipment’s forwarding assignment of mode of sea transportation. I took these photos below this morning, and as I was driving through Ensenada at dusk was halted in my progress through town by a POLICE ESCORT of truck borne APL Panama containers- very strange.  A customs truck was in the convoy as if this was a quarantine situation and the containers now are actually being impounded in the yards adjacent to the container loading dock by armed guard. One uninformed observer might assume that these now stacked in formation boxes would be just loaded onto another ship and then scurried on their merry way. But no, the assemblage is being bivouacked as if being kept as evidence of the APL Panama’s Captain and crew’s incompetence! If there are questions about your containers whereabouts, call your insurer as these photos are precious evidence of your valuable cargo’s current location and condition.

An e-mail sent from the other side of the planet today;

           I was just wondering if you could update me a little on the wonderful saga. As usual we have heard nothing from APL but our insurers sent me a report which was dated the 7^th of February with some information. Of concern was the fact that the shore based crane could not reach the containers on the starboard side so I guess that leaves the danger of the ship tipping over as they remove the cargo on the port side. Unfortunately we do not know where our cargo is stowed so cannot get any idea of if and when it will come off. I was talking to a sea captain the other day who is now shore based here in Sidney.  He believes the chances of re-floating the vessel are virtually nil and that by now it is possible that she will have broken her back. He said that with every high tide she will be sinking further in to the sand. Everything we hear screams of incompetence and inertia and I find it incredible that we have to resort to your unofficial sources to help keep us informed. As usual please do not quote me on these comments.

Container Ship Grounding Update

2-24-2006

Container Ship Grounding Update

2-26-2006

            As the morning broke over this Ensenada beach after a Saturday night of Carnival party activities, all is the same regarding the APL Panama and her current whereabouts.  It is interesting to note that the annual effigy that is burned at the start of the Carnival celebration this year was a figure that was made to resemble the Captain of the ship of the APL Panama. Today my VHF radio was tuned to the tugs operations channel 77 and a few interesting segments of information were revealed. As can be seen in the photos below the hydraulic puller barge is stationed at the bow of the ship close in.  This new approach had the tugs Captains discussing how to lay out the three anchors being deployed as these photos were taken.  One tug Captain explained how the barge is now almost full of water and is itself now becoming a stationary anchor for pulling maximum effort on the APL Panama.  It was also mentioned that the barge was in the channel that has been formed outside the ship.  Soon another tug asked where to lay out the port anchor and was told the latitude and longitude and the number of shots of chain to lay out at between 50 and 100 feet.

            Then a tug Captain asked what position on the radar he should be stationed in relation to a red buoy that they are using for correct attitude to the beach and assigned tow.  At one point he said his tow, the hydraulic puller barge, was getting away from him and he needed to refine his position.  At that time he said he was having trouble focusing on the buoy, and then another tug chimed in with “does that have any relationship to the good times you had in town last night?”.  They were both have a little fun at this point, these guys have been here now for almost 10 weeks, and this job watching a cable attached to a grounded ship has got to be wearing thin.  As a licensed Captain with a towing endorsement, I know of which I speak. Next they then discussed how they adhered to the rules and regs last night; Captains can't imbibe for a certain amount of hours before operating such powerful machinery.  They did end this discussion with how they were tempted at a certain house of ill-repute in town, and one captain quipped,” perhaps I have said too much already”.  Then another guy said what a beautiful morning it is, and was answered that we wouldn't have it any other way for you on your last day here before heading home. 

            There is a rain influence coming in tomorrow on the highest tide full moon of this cycle.  As mentioned before, a channel is forming ahead of the ship. This past two days a dredge was expected to arrive to deepen and widen this channel giving the APL Panama a clear and deep re-entry into the sea.  The containers on deck are almost all offloaded, a few have been left on the far starboard side of the ship and bow to apparently help in floating the ship off the sand.

            As I write this it is quite festive on the cliff overlooking the beached ship, the police have already been here on ATVs checking for beer, which is prohibited here and of course the beers were hidden while the cops were here. I quipped to the fiesta of locals forming, loudly, "no cerveza aqui, solamente Tequila! (no beer here, only Tequila!)"  Which brought up a host of hoots and howls from the assemblage, and I of course was offered cervezas and tequilas from all sides of my call for further Mexican alcohol driven celebration. After all, this was Sunday and getting totally sauced is some kind of macho Mexican ritual, this author surmises.  Meanwhile the tugs are conversing about a southerly current which is forced them to trend their tugs at an almost direct northerly heading from their tow. Yes, even if stationary (the APL Panama), this is a group of working tugs assigned to a tow. All the while baseball is being played on the beach, horses are being rented on the beach, and on this cliff onions and tomatoes are being chopped for the ceviche tostadas being eaten out of the bed of an old beaten up truck.

            As the afternoon progresses the radio traffic on VHF 77 got more frantic as heavy chain was deployed from the hydraulic puller barge in order to set it in place and the tugs danced in their efforts to keep the barges attitude to the ship's bow correct.  Each tug has to keep the proper heading and relationship to each other by radar bearings taken constantly. We must applaud these guys out there on the briny seas for there valiant efforts to rescue this grand shipping lady off her sandy bottom.

And yes, I again stole into a restricted zone and the photos just keep getting better and better, and yes I need you to donate to the address below-

            Yesterday the most outstanding changed feature of the beach surrounding the grounded APL Panama was the sand cliffs that have formed along the immediate area inshore from the ship. A dredge arrived at the beginning of this past week and has worked to excavate a channel offshore from the bow of the Panama in order to create a path for the ship’s return to the sea and subsequently to a ship yard for repairs. Reportedly this is a Belgian dredge from Nicaragua that has been hired to create this channel and remove the sand around the ship. The dredge is a 313-foot vessel, with a 69-foot sleeve that is able to remove 4,400 cubic meters per hour. This beach erosion is most undoubtedly created by the dredge’s attempts as how else would this have happened by natural forces as it did not occur until the dredge arrived? The dredge was not in operation yesterday and the scuttlebutt is that they are only contracted to work during regular business hours 5 days a week.

If you look closely at the photos below, you will notice that this change in the beach’s character has not affected the depth of the waters surrounding the ship. It is still very shallow along the entire length of the ship as waves can be seen breaking on the bow of the ship, indicating the depth at that area of the ship is only 5 to 10 feet. The sandy bottom around the ship continues to be silted by every high tide and the ship just sinks further in the sand with every tide change. Remember when you were a child and you stood for the first time in the sand at the tide line and every rush of wave action around your feet caused them to further sink in the sand until you were up to your ankles in sand? The same natural phenomena its occurring here and regardless of how much sand that dredge evacuates from the area, Mother Nature will not allow this attempt to succeed. It would take a team of dredges surrounding the ship to make this effort a success working 24 hours a day, not one dredge working banker’s hours!

My previous contention that a rock jetty needs to be built around the ship to seal the APL Panama from the incoming sand that naturally occurs at every tide is really the only way I see as a viable solution to the situation. This would create a little sea, a private marina for the Panama, and then the sand could be removed from the enclosure, and the ship floated thought the opening in the jetty enclosure. After all, as you can see, the local construction company hired to create the rock and dirt ramp to offload the containers could just as easily surround the ship with a loop of jetty material. But the jetty would need to be composed of huge rock, trucked in and placed by the crawler crane that is now removing the ship’s cargo. This because the current ramp made of light rock and dirt is in the shadow of the ships attitude to the sea and is being protected by the ship’s own jetty action - any constructed jetty outside that ship shadow would have to be made of heavy large boulders as the pounding surf would be daily attempting to disassemble the construction.  This new jetty would also protect the Panama from further wave action pounding her continually threatening to break her up right there on the beach. Will that occur and after the cargo is removed, will the powers that be, insures and ship owners just cut and run? Thus leaving the Panama as a monument to how regardless of the level of maritime prowess and problem solution we think we have realized; our ability to make pivotal errors in judgment and Mother Nature’s supremacy can always override our attempts to avoid such costly errors of judgment as we have seen and are continually daily seeing on that formerly desolate Mexican Beach.

The ships angle to the beach has not changed since last week’s high tides. There were only two tugs yesterday pulling on cables attached to the bow, and no hydraulic puller barge was in attendance helping maintain control of the two tug’s mammoth beached tow assignment. Notice in the photos below that the ships decks are almost entirely devoid of cargo, there are just a few containers on the stern that the crane could not reach. Now the crane mounted aboard and amidships is pulling cargo out of the hold of the ship below decks and passing those containers to the crawler crane and then to the beach and the constantly arriving trucks. Quite a system they have going of forwarding your sea borne shipments all you insures and shipping companies that are daily arriving at this website for the latest news! The hit count at this site for the short month of February was incredible - now if I could have just a dollar for every hit - please see the below mailing address and donate to this site and the free information we are supplying to you as the situation evolves. Thank you again for your continued interest and your support! Cheers and good luck getting your cargo anytime soon as the whole lot of boxes being removed from the ship are still in quarantine at the Ensenada waterfront docks, delivered by police and customs red flashing lights and sirens escorts.

ABOVE: THE ENSENADA CONTAINER SHIP LOADING DOCKS AT SUNSET THIS PAST WEEK

            Again today the contrast to the last visit to this beach was a remarkable and vivid change of scenery and events in this ever lengthening timeline that defines the APL Panama’s attempted rescue here on the beaches of Ensenada. The last time I was here on this beach, unbeknown to me, the last of the containers were being unloaded as today the giant crawler crane had been broken down and was being prepared for its departure and service at the local Amaya Curiel port facility. The waiting container carrying trucks were now gone, replaced by rock bearing trucks. The next phase has been entered, as now the rock and dirt ramp that was constructed to accommodate the container cranes is being broken down and hauled off the beach. Local papers have written that the Ensenada port authority has decreed that the ship may not be moved off the beach until the beach is restored to its previous natural state. So, this is the plan, to scurry and get that ramp demolished before the next full moon high tide coming Tuesday, March 14^th, the spring tide.

Notice in the photos below that the sand cliffs have gotten even higher as the dredge attempts to pull all the sand from the area around the ship… Also notice this attempt is failing as the ship continues to sink further into the sand as the sand is dredged and taken offshore. And the waves continue to break in the area of the bow, indicating the shallow depth of that area. As the tugs worked the puller barge today close to the shore and the ship, I could sense a growing urgency to get this situation resolved in the next week. This is the closest I have seen these guys work their tow, and the closest I have seen them approach the beach; the red hulled tug named Leader is itself in very shallow water and braving the wave forces that be to perform her job valiantly this winter Ensenada morning. The dredge waited offshore as this work was performed and was not seen close to the ship while I was there today. But last evening as the sun set she was seen moving stealthily around the bow of the Panama back and forth sweeping the area of sand and then going out toward the sea in the bay to dump her load.

Again it must be noted that this ship continues to sink into the sand as every tide flow arrives, and as we cannot stop the tides - how does the salvage team plan to successfully release this ship from her sandy prison?  The chatter on the radio was mostly very business like today, purely attending to orders being given by the salvage master orchestrating today’s sea drama. But in contrast, talk about crew relief coming and guys returning to San Diego and flying to see their families back east was the human element of the day’s ship to ship VHF radio exchanges. Out there are heard allot of southern accents indicating the body of these crews are from the Titan team’s home base in the southeast US… We again show our respect and thank them for a cold winter’s job well done to this point, even if not yet successful. Yes, this is a very cold and rainless winter here, average temps have been from 50 to 60 degrees, very unseasonable here in this latitude that is too far north for summer hurricanes and too far south for Alaskan Aleutian winter storm influences.

A bone structure appeared today as the sand was dredged away from the shoreline - is this bone the remnant of a previous grounding? Perhaps a whale at one time occupied this beach stranded as the APL Panama is today.