Italian Ferry Collides With Breakwater
While a rare snow storm blanketed Rome, the 2005-built Tirrenia ferry SHARDEN was departing the nearby port of Civitavecchia for Sardinia shortly after midnight on February 4.
The MV SHARDEN came in contact with the breakwater, tearing a 30 meter gash in the hull above the water line. The swift intervention of the Coast Guard, which coordinated the efforts of two tugs, allowed Tirrenia di Navigazione’s ferry to safely return to the dock. There were no reports of any injuries and all 262 passengers disembarked using a gangway. Once the ferry was repositioned, all 50 cars and trucks were removed from the ship and placed on other ferries to continue their journey. Very high winds were reported at the time of the collision.
The Italian-flagged, fast passenger/Ro-Ro cargo ship MV SHARDEN was built in 2005 by Fincantieri and measures 39,798 gross tons.
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That is a hell of a gash! What a frightening thing to happen to a ferry.
Interesting that ferries are now some of the more attractive ships on the high seas these days. No balconies makes for nicer lines.
That is one bad gash for sure. I totally agree with you too Phil, the ferries are much nicer looking.
Intersting that 2 ships strike submerged objects within 1 month that left from the same port.
I think Phil and Deborah above are onto something when it comes to good looks on ferries (though admittedly there are also some absolutely terrible-looking ships, like the most recent STENA BRITANNICA and STENA HOLLANDICA). Personally I adore Norwegian Color Line’s 2008-built sisters SUPERSPEED 1 and SUPERSPEED 2. While the names are stupid the design of the ships is fantastically sleek.
Superspeed 1 and Superspeed 2: awful names and hideous-looking ships in my opinion. Fortunately, we don’t all like the same things.
It is not the balconies, but the boxiness that make modern ships not look so great. What part is actual beauty verses what was imprinted on our brains when young as to what a ship should look like? It is not the S.S. France so I hate it ? I ponder this. Everyone is totally entitled to their opinion, but from a design perspective one should remember that some of those that grew up traveling on the Mauretania thought the NORMANDIE was not a real ship. Also some people hated the interiors of the Queen Mary in 1936. hard to fathom.
Tom in Long Beach
Similarly, think how some people were repulsed and shocked by the twin aft stacks of the Rotterdam V, now considered by many a “classic”.
Kalle: i agree. Some naval vessels are looking extraordinary, too, like the USS Independence which I had the good fortune to see at speed in 2010. Beautiful and fearsome.
Tom, you raise a good point about “imprinting”. I have recently started re-assessing a lot of Brutalist architecture around London which did not fit my idea of good-looking buildings, and have found a stark beauty that tells a story of post-WW2 optimism in Britain. Understanding design constraints helps things (state subsidies and minimal SOLAS will make for a prettier ship.) Those who loved sail no doubt loathed and mistrusted steamers.
Aesthetics are all well and good and add to the perceived romance of sea travel, however when visiting the Queen Mary with my father his first reaction as an old sea salt was “fire!”. He was very glad when wood started disappearing from his ships in the 1960s and is of the view that technology and modern ship safety standards are nothing but a very good thing for sailors and passengers.
Not only did this ship and the Costa Concordia leave from the same port, both hit rocks on the same side of the ship AND they were both made at the same company-Fincantieri! Maybe their ships pull to the left.