ASTRID

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Fresh water contamination caused engine failure

An ccidental fresh water contamination of its fuel system caused the engine failure and the sinking of the "Astrid" off the Cork coast with 30 trainee sailors and crew having been dramatically rescued was due to . The Department of Transport's Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) report into the sinking found that fresh water loaded into one of the diesel tanks while in a UK port was the most likely cause of the July 2013 accident, which resulted in the 89-year-old Tall Ship being wrecked. The sail training brig foundered and then sank on July 24, 2013, just minutes before it was to lead a parade of sail boats into Kinsale harbour from nearby Oysterhaven in Cork. The sailing vessel ran onto rocks in strong tides and currents, with nearby boats unable to pull it clear after the engines failed. Trainee sailors and crew miraculously escaped injury in the sinking after what has been described as one of the greatest rescue operations ever mounted by the RNLI and Irish Coastguard. The MCIB report highlighted an incident which occurred in the UK just two weeks before the Irish accident. On a previous voyage on or about the July 12, 2013 whilst the vessel was in Brighton, fresh water was taken on-board. When the vessel was taking on fresh water, the water filling hose was inadvertently placed into a fuel tank filler, contaminating the starboard aft fuel tank with approximately 1,000 litres of fresh water. In a forensic examination of the "Astrid" after her salvage, the engine fuel system was found to be contaminated. The results obtained were indicative that the passenger ship's main and port auxiliary engines stopped as a result of fresh water contamination of the fuel system. The most probable source of water was the fresh water accidentally put into the starboard aft fuel tank on July 12. The "Astrid" was later salvaged but ruled to be "an economic write-off" and was scrapped in Cork.

Report: Engine failure on the Astrid meant it couldn’t escape Kinsale’s rocks

An interim investigation into the sinking of the tall ship Astrid off the coast of Kinsale in Cork says that the failure of the engine critical. The 150-tonne Dutch vessel was travelling from Oysterhaven in Co. Cork to join a flotilla taking part in a sailing festival between Oysterhaven and Kinsale when it ran aground on 24 July last year. There were 30 people on board the ship and all were rescued safely but the ship was so badly damaged from its sinking and subsequent six weeks on the rocks that it was deemed a write-off when it was salvaged. The interim investigation by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board is not intend to apportion blame or recommend prosecutions but to make recommendations to avoid similar incidents in the future. Further reading at http://www.thejournal.ie/astrid-ship-investigation-1584897-Jul2014/

Facebook action to preserve the Astrid

The "Astrid" which is to be demolished in Ireland would have to be preserved according to the initiator of a Facebook action, Sylvia Verdonk from Serooskerke, who wants to save the ship as a historic Monument and is seeking for Facebook supporters. The owners of the "Astrid", Pieter and Ineke Comb from Kamperland have given up the hope of repairing the ship as repairs would leave very little of the original sailing ship. https://www.facebook.com/savetallshipastridgroup