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What would be involved in helicoptering in a trained crew to drive the boat under the bridge?

by tedunangst 3y ago

eropple 3y ago
They'd also need to be trained on piloting the ship. There aren't many of those ships.
- i_am_jl 3y ago
  I'm not a ship/boat person, but isn't that the job of harbor pilots? They have training on some specific dangerous/technical passages/ports and are taken to a ship, pilot the ship through the passage or into a berth, then leave and go on their way? I've never heard of the pilots around Port Newark needing ship-specific training, even for giants like tankers or container ships. Maybe this is somehow different in Australia?
  - eropple 3y ago
    I can't speak to it, but I do know that icebreakers aren't in the same maritime class (I forget the specific term here?) as those other ships. There just might not be somebody who checks both boxes.
  - ok_dad 3y ago
    I used to be an officer of the deck on navy ships. From liking at the bridge and knowing the history, it looks like a very narrow and technical route under the bridge, and probably slow and prone to wind. At slow speeds, it’s difficult to get steerage due to less water over the control planes, so without auxiliary thrusters it’s hard to control. That means you need both familiarity with the local conditions and also with the ship and its dynamics. Going a few hundred kilometers is a day or less and it’s easier and safer, so it’s the best choice when there isn’t a compelling reason other than saving a bit of time once in a while. Maybe next time they’ll choose to do the training and certification, but this time they didn’t. I think this article tries to make it sound like a huge deal, but no one really cares in reality.
  - jt2190 3y ago
    > [Pilots] have training on some specific dangerous/technical passages/ports and are taken to a ship, pilot the ship through the passage or into a berth, then leave and go on their way? My understanding is that Pilots never steer the vessel itself, rather they act as navigational experts that can be consulted in real time by the staff on the bridge.
mikeyouse 3y ago
Most harbors already use pilots to handle the 'last mile' of docking the ship -- part of the trials & certifications are ensuring that this one-off custom ship will handle in the various conditions in a way that the pilots will be able to control. E.g. If something goes wrong on a windy day and they need a tug - how many tugs of what size will be needed to control it prevent damage to the harbor? The vast majority of ships of this size are in very well understood classes, so the one-off nature of this one necessitates some special testing and consideration. https://tasports.com.au/news/rsv-nuyina-to-commence-harbour-trials https://tasports.com.au/news/rsv-nuyina-to-commence-harbour-...
Beldin 3y ago
What would be involved is extensive training - precisely the sort that is currently lacking. Basically, they were already trying to helicopter in folks. The difficulty is that it's rather challenging. They need folk who are intimately familiar with the local water- and weather conditions - aka pilots. On top of that, they need folk who can precision-steer the vessel. This is hard due to tides, current, wind, waves. Moreover, the vessel is too big to stop or turn on a dime. Hence the need for training.

What would be involved in helicoptering in a trained crew to drive the boat under the bridge?

eropple 3y ago

They'd also need to be trained on piloting the ship. There aren't many of those ships.

i_am_jl 3y ago
I'm not a ship/boat person, but isn't that the job of harbor pilots? They have training on some specific dangerous/technical passages/ports and are taken to a ship, pilot the ship through the passage or into a berth, then leave and go on their way? I've never heard of the pilots around Port Newark needing ship-specific training, even for giants like tankers or container ships. Maybe this is somehow different in Australia?
- eropple 3y ago
  I can't speak to it, but I do know that icebreakers aren't in the same maritime class (I forget the specific term here?) as those other ships. There just might not be somebody who checks both boxes.
- ok_dad 3y ago
  I used to be an officer of the deck on navy ships. From liking at the bridge and knowing the history, it looks like a very narrow and technical route under the bridge, and probably slow and prone to wind. At slow speeds, it’s difficult to get steerage due to less water over the control planes, so without auxiliary thrusters it’s hard to control. That means you need both familiarity with the local conditions and also with the ship and its dynamics. Going a few hundred kilometers is a day or less and it’s easier and safer, so it’s the best choice when there isn’t a compelling reason other than saving a bit of time once in a while. Maybe next time they’ll choose to do the training and certification, but this time they didn’t. I think this article tries to make it sound like a huge deal, but no one really cares in reality.
- jt2190 3y ago
  > [Pilots] have training on some specific dangerous/technical passages/ports and are taken to a ship, pilot the ship through the passage or into a berth, then leave and go on their way? My understanding is that Pilots never steer the vessel itself, rather they act as navigational experts that can be consulted in real time by the staff on the bridge.

mikeyouse 3y ago

Most harbors already use pilots to handle the 'last mile' of docking the ship -- part of the trials & certifications are ensuring that this one-off custom ship will handle in the various conditions in a way that the pilots will be able to control. E.g. If something goes wrong on a windy day and they need a tug - how many tugs of what size will be needed to control it prevent damage to the harbor? The vast majority of ships of this size are in very well understood classes, so the one-off nature of this one necessitates some special testing and consideration. https://tasports.com.au/news/rsv-nuyina-to-commence-harbour-trials https://tasports.com.au/news/rsv-nuyina-to-commence-harbour-...

Beldin 3y ago

What would be involved is extensive training - precisely the sort that is currently lacking. Basically, they were already trying to helicopter in folks. The difficulty is that it's rather challenging. They need folk who are intimately familiar with the local water- and weather conditions - aka pilots. On top of that, they need folk who can precision-steer the vessel. This is hard due to tides, current, wind, waves. Moreover, the vessel is too big to stop or turn on a dime. Hence the need for training.