Tug Boat Sinks In Lorenzo

[Mark P]

Ok gang, so what happened here? Apparently a tug boat got caught in middle of hurricane Lorenzo and sank in 20 foot waves. Really sad. But why? Could they not out run it? Did they not see it? That lift raft was big enough, why did so many not get in it?

 

[Shrew]

The Bourbon Rhode is a 164 foot Supply Tug. It would be more than capable of handling 20 ft seas. That vessel was equipped with 4 life rafts. One was recovered with 3 crew. It is unclear whether the other 3 were deployed.

The remaining crew will be debriefed and more will become available. Unfortunately unexpected water ingress and/or engine failure, or fire are root causes of such disasters.

I doubt she was simply 'caught unaware'.

Three Rescued from Tug Bourbon Rhode Lost in Hurricane Lorenzo, Eleven MissingOld Salt Blog

 

[Mark P]

I've been reading up on it. Just hard to believe something this seaworthy could sink absent structural damage.

 

[diver dave]

If you read the Orgeron story with the space shuttle fuel tank, the opinion of seaworthy may change. Ocean tug, 25 foot seas, and ER fire and more..

 

[Shrew]

I'm not completely sure I'd put the Orgeron in the same class as a Supply tug like Bourbon Rhode. Most of the supply tugs I've seen in the open ocean are a bit more like Bourbon Rhode. Orgeron looks a bit more like she's designed for harbor and river duty.

Just my uneducated opinion.

 

[diver dave]

She carries 98,000 gallons of fuel. Maybe she is an oiler on her days off?

 

[McGillicuddy]

I'm not completely sure I'd put the Orgeron in the same class as a Supply tug like Bourbon Rhode. Most of the supply tugs I've seen in the open ocean are a bit more like Bourbon Rhode. Orgeron looks a bit more like she's designed for harbor and river duty.

Just my uneducated opinion.

I can assure you the Orgeron boat was a fully ABS classed ocean tug boat. But she is not a tug/supply. Straight towing only. Should have been capable of handling the seas that day but for the engine room fire.

Tug/supply boats were built for oilfield use are characterized by long open aft decks so that once a drilling rig has been towed to its drilling location and anchored in, the support tug can function as a supply vessel to the rig, bringing fuel and drilling fluids in tanks below decks and pallets of supplies or stacks of pipe on deck. The long aft deck also functions as a work deck to attach long lengths of chain to rig anchors during the rig moving process.

The Bourbon Rhode should have been easily capable of handling 20’ seas and works in much wilder conditions off Alaska, North Sea and Southern Ocean locations.

Let’s hear what the surviving crew has to say before speculating.

 

[78puget-trawler]

I agree, 20 ft seas should have been easily handled by such a vessel as this. Something else must have contributed to this.

 

[Mark P]

Okay, I've read a little more on the Bourbon Rhode. Apparently this Tug was powered by Azimut Thrusters or pods instead of typical drive lines with props and rudders. The report of its distress signals stated the Bourbon Rhode was taking on huge amounts of water and that it probably suffered mechanical failure to its engines - not clear yet whether the water caused the engine failure, or the engine failure left the vessel stranded and open to water ingress in those kind of seas.