“Super Moon” blamed for vessels running aground in UK

While astronomists and scientists have dispelled rumors that this past weekends “Super Moon” did not cause any catastrophic events, the rare occurrence, known for then when the moon is at its closest to the earth, did cause some challenges for vessels in the UK.

According to the UK Daily Mail:

Yesterday, coastguards at the Needles, on the western side of the Isle of Wight, dealt with five ships in distress at the same time.

Among them was the 2,900 tonne cargo ship Paula-C, on its way to Cowes with a crew of nine. They were forced to wait for a high tide to lift them clear of a shingle bank.

A coastguard spokesman said a 25 foot yacht had also run aground and three other vessels were also marooned by the unexpected turn of events.

He said: ‘We checked them all and there were no injuries, just some surprise at being caught out like this. Blame it on the Moon.’

Pictured above, the Paula-C grounded on an Isle of Wight sandbank courtesy Daily Mail.

Subscribe for Daily Maritime Insights

Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update

— trusted by our 109,166 members