CHAPTER 10

OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VESSEL

10.1
General Observations

The vessel was equipped with two controllable-pitch propellers, two rudders and two bow thrusters. It was designed for berthing and unberthing without external assistance. Senior officers who had served on board the vessel when she was under Finnish flag have generally expressed satisfaction with the handling characteristics of the vessel. The fact that the navigation bridge was located aft of the front bulkhead of the superstructure in such a way that the bow of the ship was less visible than normal has not been considered as a disadvantage. As a matter of fact, the flag mast on top of the foremost part of the visor was visible from all positions aft of the control panel whilst the visor itself could only be seen through the lower windows at both sides of the centre part of the bridge. This, as well as the blue steering light on top of the above-mentioned flag mast just shining aft are not mentioned by the JAIC at all. The drawing on page 34 of the Final Report is thus incomplete and the view sector shown is wrong. The correct facts are shown on page 110 above.

 

10.2
Speed Resources

The ship had a contractual speed of 21 knots at 90 per cent of maximum continuous rating. The practical maximum operating speed of the ship in later years was considered to be 19 knots. This was adequate for the service in which the ship was engaged. To meet the timetable, the average speed in open sea was required to be about 17.0 knots on eastbound voyages and about 16.5 knots on westbound voyages.