Text 6. Bad loading blamed for capsize

Incorrect loading of a cargo of stone has been blamed for the capsize of the bulker Rocknes last January. Eighteen seafarers died when the ship struck a reef outside the Norwegian port of Bergen, ripping open 80 metres of the hull over three ballast tanks.

An inquiry by the Norwegian Maritime Directorate concluded that the cargo's centre of gravity had been too high, meaning that there was too much cargo for the ship's ballast.

The Rocknes's owner attacked the inquiry's findings, however, accusing them of being "too narrow" and "too speculative". They were trying to blame the master, who died in the accident, and paid little attention to chart problems. The most recent chart of the area did not show the rock, he said. The pilot and master knew nothing about it.

Another report is due, this one from the Bergen maritime authorities, and this will consider the navigational issues of the accident.

Vocabulary

to rip open	распарывать
to conclude	делать вывод
centre of gravity	центр тяжести
findings	полученные данные
to accuse	обвинять
speculative	теоретический, гипотетический
issue	проблема, вопрос

After reading the texts and exchanging the information about possible causes of the accident, do your best to describe the disaster using the facts from the three texts. Say if it can be regarded as resulting from "human error".

Text 7. Officers blamed in Cape Town grounding

I. Read the text.

Make sure you understand the words below:

to battle	to fight
hazardous	dangerous
avoidable	needless, preventable

Blame for the grounding of the boxship Sea-Land Express off Cape Town last year has been laid on its master and three of its officers, although the port's traffic control staff have also been criticised.

The US-flagged ship dragged its anchor in heavy weather and was blown on to a sandbar in Table Bay. Salvors battled for weeks before managing to pull it free in an operation that required the off-loading of more than 3,500 tonnes of oil and containers holding hazardous cargo.

A report by the South African Maritime Safety Authority described the accident as "perfectly avoidable". "We have a situation where four highly qualified men collectively ignore, or fail to recognise, a developing crisis, or if they do, they fail to act in time".

The master had been warned at 4 am that the 2,700 teu¹ ship was dragging its anchor but did not think it necessary to go to the bridge. Nor were the engines made ready. By the time they were started two hours later it was too late.

Port control officers claim to have warned the ship it was in danger, but this is disputed by the crew. The final bill for salvage and repairs has been put at US$ 7 million.

Vocabulary

to lay blame	возлагать вину (на кого-л.)
staff	штат служащих; служебный персонал
to drag the anchor	дрейфовать при отданном якоре
sandbar	песчаная отмель
to pull free	зд. снять с мели
to ignore	игнорировать, пренебрегать
to fail	не удаваться
to claim	заявлять, утверждать
to dispute	оспаривать
salvage	спасение имущества

II. Translate the passages describing the master's behaviour.

III. Vocabulary Practice

1. Find an odd word.

1. dispute, discuss, discover, argue;

2. claim, say, state, stay.

2. Think of the words or word groups having the similar meaning:

to ignore; to pull free; staff; boxship; off-loading; hazardous.

IV. Grammar Review

Rephrase the following sentences using proper modal verbs:

1. Salvors battled for weeks before managing to pull it free.

2. Four highly qualified men collectively fail to recognise a developing crisis.

3. Operation required off-loading of oil and containers.

4. The accident was avoidable.

V. Speech Practice

1. Answer the questions to the text.

1. Who was blamed for the grounding of the container ship?

2. What factors contributed to the accident?

3. What measures were taken by salvors to tow off the ship?

4. What is your opinion of the master's behaviour in a dangerous situation?

2. Speak about the accident using the above questions as a plan.

UNIT 3. Piracy

Text 1. Modern pirates on the high seas

I. Read the text.

Make sure you understand the words below:

tip	top, end
acoustic	sound
to repel	to keep away
to turn on	to switch on

November, 5, 2005

The attack on the Carnival Cruise Line ship Seabourn Spirit appears to be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to¹ pirating on the high seas.

The cruise liner was equipped with a modern long range acoustic device (LRAD) used to repel the raiders. It means that a pirate attack was not only expected, it has become more common at sea.

Armed pirates approach the Seabourn Spirit

What happened to the Seabourn Spirit was enough to frighten the passengers. Two open boats, apparently launched from a mother ship, approached the liner with machine guns and a grenade launcher firing. They were attempting to force the unarmed liner to stop and be boarded.

The crew, however, turned on the sound machine and used it to drive off the invaders. The LRAD is said to be loud enough to break ear drums of anybody within a few hundred feet of the direction of the sound blast. It did not affect the passengers aboard the ship because it was pointed at the pirates.

They said the captain of the liner stood on the bridge, giving commands, as the Seabourn Spirit attempted first to ram the raiders. Then the liner changed course and escaped at full speed. The worst that happened was that one member of the liner's crew was hit by flying shrapnel.

It is believed the pirates are operating from a "mother ship" that is prowling the busy Indian Ocean corridor.

This unnamed and unidentified "mother ship" has been spotted three times since late July drifting off the northeast coast of Somalia. It is believed to be the vessel that launches the speedboats that attack the ships on the open sea.

This particular gang of pirates has become so threatening that the world's largest shipping companies have called upon the U.N. to address the problem.