Nekton Rorqual runs aground in Fort Lauderdale

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

deepstops

Blacklight Poster
ScubaBoard Sponsor
Messages
5,656
Reaction score
221
Location
Weston, FL
# of dives
They've already pulled her off the beach as of the 5pm newscast.

78-foot vessel runs ashore near Port Everglades | MiamiHerald.com

78-foot vessel runs ashore near Port Everglades
By DAVID SMILEY
dsmiley@MiamiHerald.com

Beachgoers at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park received a surprise visit Tuesday afternoon from a 78-foot vessel that ran ashore.

The Nekton Rorqual, a dive boat that holds 36 people, was heading to Port Everglades for fueling around 3 p.m. when it beached near the park, said Ellen Kennedy, spokeswoman for Port Everglades.

The U.S. Coast Guard was headed out to the boat, but no further information was available, a spokeswoman said.
 
an uncharted reef in unfamiliar territory is one thing, or a storm, but they didn't know where the beach was in broad daylight?
 
I guess it is a good thing that my trip in november is on their other ship, the Nekton Pilot
 
an uncharted reef in unfamiliar territory is one thing, or a storm, but they didn't know where the beach was in broad daylight?

I'm assuming a mechanical failure. The CBS4 video link I just posted said the boat was headed to PR while the Miami Herald article says she was inbound to pick up fuel in Fort Lauderdale (homeport). It's possible she ran out of fuel and was blown onto the beach. I'm not sure why they wouldn't have dropped an anchor to prevent grounding the vessel though.
 
My navigation instructor used to say "When a boat strikes a charted object it's rarely the fault of the charted object"
 
I'm assuming a mechanical failure. The CBS4 video link I just posted said the boat was headed to PR while the Miami Herald article says she was inbound to pick up fuel in Fort Lauderdale (homeport). It's possible she ran out of fuel and was blown onto the beach. I'm not sure why they wouldn't have dropped an anchor to prevent grounding the vessel though.

Nekton boats don't have anchors.
 
Looks like it ran aground due to "steering problems"


here's a pic of it run aground

17719927.jpg




from Dive Boat Runs Aground Near John U. Lloyd State Park - Miami News Story - WPLG Miami

Dive Boat Runs Aground Near John U. Lloyd State Park

POSTED: 8:51 am EDT October 15, 2008
UPDATED: 9:05 am EDT October 15, 2008


The United States Coast Guard said the Nekton Rorqual had steering problems and the captain lost control of the vessel just outside of Port Everglades.

The SWATH-designed catamaran, used as a live-aboard touring dive platform, was stuck for several hours before Tow Boat U.S.A was able to free it.

Just how much damage the grounding may have caused remains to be seen.

“There are three complex reef systems where it grounded and we won’t know how much marine life has been disturbed or damaged until we can send divers out to examine the reefs. It really depends on how it came ashore, if it bounced across a reef as it was pushed to shore it may be significant," said Richard Dodge, a marine biologist from Nova Southeastern University.

The Nekton Rorqual was towed to deeper waters where it will remain for the time being.




http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/726532.html

78-foot vessel beaches near John U. Lloyd park

Beachgoers at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park received a surprise visit Tuesday afternoon from a 78-foot vessel that ran ashore.

The Nekton Rorqual, a dive boat that holds 36 people, was headed to Port Everglades at about 3 p.m. when it beached near the park, said port spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy. After more than an hour, the boat was pulled off the beach and taken into port, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Barry Bena said. The problem appeared to be a steering malfunction, he said.
 
Nekton boats don't have anchors.



How can anyone go to sea without an anchor??

Doesn't the Coast Guard require an anchor??

Just another reason to avoid this dive op.



Somehow I doubt they don't have anchors..... (but I couldn't find an anchor on the pics of their ships on their website either...)

I can see though where they don't use the anchor 99% of the time as they use the mooring buoy's at the dive sites they visit.
 

Back
Top Bottom