bulk carrier OCEAN BREEZE hard aground on Chilean beach...

[c.captain]

Such are the dangers of anchoring off of a lee shore in an unprotected roadstead. I don't know why masters choose to anchor in such situations rather that slow steam well offshore awaiting conditions to moderate? At least all crew are safe now but the ship is doomed in such surf.



I could make a snide comment about the master of the NOBLE DISCOVERER here but I won't

[+A465B]

The local press has only that it is grounded, the crew are in a hotel, an investigation is started, the underwriters have a person on site and they are all trying to figure out how to get the 40t fuel and 29 t oils off the ship. The local press does not indicate on a cause at this time.

San Antonio is a fair sizeable port with container, bulk, fishing and repair facilites. It is approx. 2 hrs SW of Santiago by fast "interstate style" divided highway. The city is one of the larger cities in Chile, but dirty. The environs are mainly wood, paper and fruit producing. I have never seen so many avacaodes in my life - huge, huge avacado ranches surrounded by electrified barbed wire ! There is a beach resort to the south of town, and it looks like the ship is between the port entrance (at the top of town) and the beach resort to the south.

The local weather has calmer seas today (0.5 to 1.5m) with swell from SW. This is pretty calm for winter on that coast. The Chilean Navy weather office - which is the primary source for Chile maritime wx, shows swells increasing over the next 72 hrs, back to 5m in the area of San Antonio.

http://meteoarmada.directemar.cl/pro...814104507.html

It does appear the ship is doomed, but one thing the locals are reporting is the beach is sandy there, which can be seen from some of the alternate photos taken from the south looking north.

We lived very close to the beach in Chile, although in another city. In winter the swells were so big that 4m was just average in winter. They could really get going and the house, set on rock, would shake with the biggest ones. It was really fun to listen to. The authorities would close the port when it got really rough, sometimes for 3 to 5 days at a stretch, but this is pretty typical for Chile, the geography and swells. The ships would roll at the quayside, and no one wanted that due to potential for damage to ship and pier. We had a hell of a hard time dealing with our project cargoes and could never really stop the ships we dealt with from rolling to do our moves, which once started, had to continue. This affected our transport and port selections. And yes, you can feel an earthquake on a ship at peirside, exactly like it feels on the land alongside. Very freaky.

Ships do anchor very close in along the Chilean coast. There aren't many truly sheltered Chilean harbors north of Valdivia - although Valpo does have a good headland to the SW, and there isn't much shallow water. The anchorages are close to shore, but it is what there is. The swell is so big that it wraps around whatever headlands there are, except maybe at Mejillones which is more north facing.

Certainly I would anticipate being on round the clock attended engine room "standby" on the main engine in such an anchorage in that sort of weather.

If the seas come back up as forecast, OCEAN BREEZE could be a goner for sure. The hull can only absorb so much wave energy before letting go, and once the hull envelope and girder ore comprimised, it will be short work in a 5-6m swell. It was never calm for more than a few days in winter !

The local operators are Ultratug & Ultramar, and there are some others along the coast, but not nearly as big. They are great to work with, although they do not have a lot of big salvage tugs / gear.

[+A465B]

Surfers' Paradise come winter

DSC07401 (Large).JPG


Port of San Antonio Chile, Turista's view

San Antonio Port.jpg

Beach Nearby

Beach nearby.jpg

We could never get over how long the coast is there, and how absolutely desolate.

You could fly over the coast for 3 hours, looking out and imagining how you could need motocross bikes to access them, or at least get to the top of the cliff above them. Some were obviously backed by cliffs over 300m high, with no access evident. Really cool. I would go back to Chile in a minute, especially in the area from La Serena south to Concepcion. If based in Brazil, it is a good option for an out of the US place to stay. No immigration hassles at all - they were happy to see you but Americans will have a visa fee.

PS - Maersk has had some OSV built in Chile, maybe a cuple in build now, although I never personally saw them.

[+A465B]

No particular news or photos about the OCEAN BREEZE today (Sunday) in the local / national Chilean press.

Wx forecast for San Antonio region calm with swell slowly building through the 22nd. Port itself is open. Maybe they will make some progress.

[c.captain]

Even though she is sitting on a flat sand beach, the fact that she is loaded is not good for getting her off. If she's well up in the shallows (which it certainly appears based on how much underwater hull is showing), I'm pretty certain that it's going to take a substantial discharging of cargo before she's light enough to pull free. Doing that in the winter and where she sits is not going to be easy at all. I wonder if during this lull any attempt has been made to pull her off? Are there any large salvage tugs anywhere close by?

[capitanahn]

Engine must be ready all the time, and the Bridge/Engine Room Watch should be in place 24/7 according to ISM.

[+A465B]

Ultratug had some larger gear but it was on long term charter down in Punta Arenas.

http://www.ultratug.com/chile.html

All the rest up & down the Chilean coast is harbor / coastal tugs of abt. 60t bollard pull and less. Very, very little ocean towing in Chile and no offshore work except servicing the few production platforms around the corner on the Atlantic side.

[tugsailor]

What is the cost of living in Chile? I have heard its the highest in Latin America? I've also heard, that of all the places in Latin America, that living in Chile is the most like living in the US, other than the language.

[+A465B]

If you need to live like a gringo it will be similar cost to US except dental, healthcare and restaurants which are significantly less. Transport by bus and taxi is also less than USA. Plane travel about the same.

Rent for nice places is abt the same as US small cities or suburbs - rent in prime locations like Santiago, Valparaiso or Vina del Mar can be getting up there. Real estate is a little cheaper than USA, except out in the countryside or smaller cities it can be much less. Groceries, fuel and cars all abt the same. There is a housing shortage in the region between San Antonio and Concepcion because of the earthquake / tsunami damage a few years back. It was a very bad situation and you can easily see the damage .

We liked Chile a lot. Some of the guys spoke great Spanish and had lots of work friends and social friends right away. Chilean people are very friendly and approachable. The team at Ultramar / Utratug were great to work with in all the ports we used plus the Santiago HQ. I cannot say enough about how helpful they were.

Nothing happens fast in the countryside, but in Santiago or Valpo you can get stuff done. In Vina del Mar and parts of Santiago (Las Condes) you would believe you were in a great city in the US. One fancy mall in Santiago is so like the US you would think it was in Miami or LA - even the same stores and restaurants and Spanish signs!

In other parts it feels a little gritter like East LA, Hialeah, FL or parts of TX. Petty theft can be an annoyance and one of our guys walking alone late had to put a Taser to some attackers. I never felt unsafe personally. In the valleys, it is just like CA or S. France. It was so pleasant that I asked my wife to come stay for a while, and we had a great time doing vineyard tours, hiking the Andes, grilling and just meeting people.

If I was a single person and working Brazil, or wanted to stay outside the US to make my 11 months out - I would definitely consider living or travelling short term in Chile, and especially the zone from La Serena south to Puerto Montt / Valdivia. If you like the city and people, Santiago or Valparaiso would suit.

[+A465B]

One thng to think about in Chile is the range of climate.

From Arica in the North to Punta Arenas in the south is roughly similar to the climate zones of from Cabo San Lucas to Anchorage, AK. So you have the driest desert on earth up at the top, and rain forests and glaciers in the south. The zone near La Serena down to Concepcion is pretty much equal to that btwn LA and San Francisco climate-wise. Puerto Montt is probably equal to Seattle or Vancouver climate-wise, but of course Puerto Montt is not a big city.

[+A465B]

Update - According to local press a helicopter access lift was planned (Sunday) for salvors to evaluate the structural condition of the OCEAN BREEZE and organize defueling. The weather has been good, and there is now considrable touristic interest in the ship on the beach.

[ChiefRob]

If you need to live like a gringo it will be similar cost to US except dental, healthcare and restaurants which are significantly less. Transport by bus and taxi is also less than USA. Plane travel about the same.

Rent for nice places is abt the same as US small cities or suburbs - rent in prime locations like Santiago, Valparaiso or Vina del Mar can be getting up there. Real estate is a little cheaper than USA, except out in the countryside or smaller cities it can be much less. Groceries, fuel and cars all abt the same. There is a housing shortage in the region between San Antonio and Concepcion because of the earthquake / tsunami damage a few years back. It was a very bad situation and you can easily see the damage .

We liked Chile a lot. Some of the guys spoke great Spanish and had lots of work friends and social friends right away. Chilean people are very friendly and approachable. The team at Ultramar / Utratug were great to work with in all the ports we used plus the Santiago HQ. I cannot say enough about how helpful they were.

Nothing happens fast in the countryside, but in Santiago or Valpo you can get stuff done. In Vina del Mar and parts of Santiago (Las Condes) you would believe you were in a great city in the US. One fancy mall in Santiago is so like the US you would think it was in Miami or LA - even the same stores and restaurants and Spanish signs!

In other parts it feels a little gritter like East LA, Hialeah, FL or parts of TX. Petty theft can be an annoyance and one of our guys walking alone late had to put a Taser to some attackers. I never felt unsafe personally. In the valleys, it is just like CA or S. France. It was so pleasant that I asked my wife to come stay for a while, and we had a great time doing vineyard tours, hiking the Andes, grilling and just meeting people.

If I was a single person and working Brazil, or wanted to stay outside the US to make my 11 months out - I would definitely consider living or travelling short term in Chile, and especially the zone from La Serena south to Puerto Montt / Valdivia. If you like the city and people, Santiago or Valparaiso would suit.

Can a American citizen own property in Chile or do you have to lease it like most other places, Brazil and Mexico included? Might be some good investment opportunity's down there if so.

[tugsailor]

As far as I know, an American can own property anywhere in Latin America, but in Mexico, an American must set up a Mexican corporation to hold title. In Costa Rica, an American can own most property in his own name, but oceanfront much be held by a Costa Rica corporation. Panama is similar to Costa Rica, but its only certain types of oceanfront that must be held by a corporation and require a special "concession" from the government. In general, it is often wise to form a local corporation to own the property anyway. I know people who have bought property in Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador. Currently, Uruguay is really being promoted to North American and European retirees and immigrants.

A friend of mine tried retiring to Santiago, but he came back after a year. He said it was just as expensive to live in Santiago as in the US and that living in Santiago was like living in NYC. He traveled in Argentina and found it much less expensive and better living, but felt that the government was too corrupt and unstable.

[+A465B]

Update (Monday am) - Local press reports the ship was visited Sunday by salvage team and no structural failures reported.

San Antonio Port open.
Swells forecast building through Aug 25th to 4 meters.
UltraTug & Nippon Salvage attending.

Local authories concerned that large numbers of tourists visiting the site to gawk are presenting safety hazards. Local food cart vendors see sales jump, and are most delighted to have a shipwreck in front of their usual roadside spot.

[+A465B]

ChiefRob,

Not sure if US citizens can own property in Chile. It seemed to be no problem, but I did not look into the legal details.

There are many good websites explaining life in Chile. I would agree with the comments on cost of living. In Santiago and Valpo the cost of living is going to be US comparable. The cash going out each month felt about the same, ie groceries, car, fuel, rent (very high where we were). But you could go to the local fresh goods market and save money compared to just going to the supermarket which was a Chilean subsidiary of WalMart, and people there do not have a lot of "stuff." One can definitely do it cheaper, but you would have to have a good understanding of language and culture and a willingness to do it. One of our gringo guys was quite inclined to go native, but he spoke 100% fluent Spanish and had lived in Mexico for a long time.

I recall the average Chilean family was getting by on rather less than US, and the prosperity varies a lot be "Regions". The wages we used to think about were on the order of USD12,000 per year - and a top (unioinzed) hand was paid the Chilean equivalent of USD 5 - 8 an hour plus benefits. Mining or "la minera"is a huge, huge economic force in the northern Regions, particularly copper. If you work in la minera and its support industries, you are doing pretty good in Chile.

In the center it is agriculture - as big as anything California's Central Valley does - maybe bigger. The south, well it is timber and tourism, with hydropower to come. In Santiago there is lots of business and government services money, and in the Las Condes area it shows pretty big. I used to listen to the fellows in the main office there talking about which private schools and universities they went to, their wives, kids, boats, cars and vacations all over the world. All the usual I guess.

Those fellows were clearly in the upper crust of Chilean society, which seems to me to be a lot more stratified than in the US - or at least the stratification was more evident. In Chile you either have it - or you don't. They do have a strong national healthcare and pension system, and everyone chips in.

The secretaries rode the Metro from a poorer part of town and originally came from the hinterlands. Near our field office, people were living in favela type corrugated metal huts or a particular smallish concrete house that you see in Central & S. America a lot. It was pretty gritty and life was a lot closer to the edge. As mentioned - not a lot of "stuff."

For sure Chile is worth a visit and a look into the culture. But the girls are much prettier in Argentina !

[+A465B]

Update (Tuesday) - Owners and salvors have presented an initial salvage plan to Chilean maritime authorities. Onboard inspections continuing with access by helicopter. Nearby beach closed by government order as a safety precaution and to facilitate salvage access. San Antonio Port open. Wx conditions remain favourable. End.

[+A465B]

Update (Tuesday pm) - Per press reports, Chilean maritime authorities state efforts to pump fuel off the OCEAN BREEZE will start Friday 24th if conditions allow. Increasing swells are anticipated b'twn now and then, making the operation impractical before Friday.

For those interested, good weather maps can be found at the Chilean Navy Weather website. The part "para navegantes" is the more specific maritime forecast maps / data.

http://meteoarmada.directemar.cl/pro...ort/inicio.htm

[+A465B]

Maybe this works better

http://meteoarmada.directemar.cl/

[+A465B]

Update (Wed pm) - Local press has interviewed local maritime district commander -

Reports indicate that recovering the 380 Cst fuel oil aboard the ship aground on Llolleo Beach will be complicated, but the task is under study by Nippon Salvage & UltraTug.

Some (very small amount) of oil cleanup gear has been brought to the area to protect some sensitive sites should a spill occur.

Winter weather is not particularly favourable and intial defueling efforts will now be delayed until Saturday. No mention of very bad seas or wind, but forecast swells in the area from SW 3 to 5 meters.

San Antonio port is open.

[+A465B]

Friday (pm) - Local TV station photographs ship from seaward side. Weather actually looks pretty good in the photos.

http://www.canal2.cl/?p=32587

Report says de-fueling efforts are still planned for Saturday.

Offical forecast looking about as good as it gets.