São Paulo Pilots’ Timely Action Averts Incident At Port of Santos

Unexpectedly strong wind gusts of 52 knots (approximately 100 km per hour) around 7:30 PM last Friday (19) caused the mooring cables of the MSC Adonis, docked at berth 1 of the Brazil Terminal Portuário (BTP), to break.

The ship ended up perpendicular to the dock, almost drifting, with the bow pushing against one of the defenses of the berth.

Pilot Pedro Tkotz, who was on duty, received emergency warnings from operators Felipe Valle and Marcelo Rigos of C3OT (Coordination, Communications, and Traffic Operations Center of São Paulo Pilots). The pilots’ sensors identified the strong winds at 7:15 PM, which were relayed to C3OT.

In about 6 minutes, the pilot checked the information, geared up, crossed Saldanha da Gama Avenue towards Pilot Bridge, and headed to BTP on the Pilots’ boat.

He called the tugboats there, and within 26 minutes, he was ready to board the ship. With the assistance of the tugboats, he managed to realign MSC Adonis with the dock and then re-dock it safely in the same berth. The MSC Adonis is a container ship measuring 300 meters by 48.5 meters in width, built in 2015, with a capacity to carry 9,162 containers.

During the operation, the assistance of mariner Rodrigo, who was piloting the Pilots’ boat, was also essential. He informed the pilot of the distance from the dock to help with the maneuver.

At the same time, Pilot Fábio Mello Fontes, President of São Paulo Pilots, was on board another container ship entering the port, the Maersk Lota. Despite the wind, he reduced the ship’s speed and avoided a collision. “The wind started blowing suddenly; in the area where I was, which is more sheltered, it reached 94 km per hour. As soon as I heard about the occurrence, I averted the entry maneuver, reduced speed, and remained stationary for about two and a half hours near the Customs House, with the support of two tugboats, until it was safe to dock next to the Adonis.”

Source: BoqNews

Click here to access the original news piece in Portuguese: https://www.boqnews.com/cidades/praticagem-de-sp-evita-acidente-e-reatraca-navio-no-canal-do-porto-de-santos/

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