General cargo ship FRIENDLAND rammed fairway buoy shortly after leaving Inga Finland, in the evening Nov 10. Buoy was damaged, see photo. Freighter was ordered to anchor, and checked by CG officers. Watch and Master alcohol tests were negative, autopilot is reported as the cause of the accident. Autopilot didn’t turn the ship as programmed, and kept her on wrong course. The ship didn’t sustain damages and was allowed to resumed voyage. As of Nov 15, she was berthed at Riga Latvia. It’s strange though, that modern navigators don’t bother themselves with checking ship’s course and pos in turning points, etc. Computers and programs know better?
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.