What Crew Members Say About Hagland-Chief

On November 14, 2013, at approximately 11 a.m., the crew and officials aboard the cargo ship Hagland Chief identified hazardous stowage issues as the vessel navigated through the locks of the Kiel Canal. The dangerous arrangement of birch logs on deck prompted a call for an urgent inspection. Authorities directed the Hagland Chief to dock at Voith Quay in Kiel's North port, where it arrived at 1:50 p.m. for a thorough examination of its cargo. Upon inspection, it became evident that several logs had already shifted during transit, raising concerns that more might have been lost overboard en route from Skulde to Oostende. The logs had been secured by only basic steel frames, without adequate safety measures, necessitating proper re-stowage in Kiel. This incident occurred merely days after another cargo vessel, Roseburg, tragically lost 1,500 tons of timber in the same waters, resulting in debris still visible along the shorelines at Falckenstein and Friedrichsort. For visual documentation, see the linked photos: http://forum-schiff.de/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1377&p=97381#p97381 http://forum-schiff.de/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23#p97377.

On May 11, the towboat 'Hunter' successfully transported the impaired vessel 'Hagland Chief' from Kristiansand to Harlingen. This maneuver was necessary following damage incurred during a grounding incident that occurred on April 29 while the ship was en route from Gdansk to Høllen. Having arrived at its destination, the 'Hagland Chief' was safely berthed at a local repair yard on May 13 at 5:35 p.m. For a visual recap of the event, check out the photo report here: http://www.scannernet.nl/fotos-scheepvaart-incidenten-evenementen/fotos-evenementen-harlingen-en-omstreken/category/380-binnenkomst-hagland-chief-harlingen-1305.html.

In an incident that occurred early on April 29, 2013, at approximately 3:15 a.m., the cargo vessel "Hagland Chief" ran aground in the waters between Hunnsøya and Brennøyane near Søgne. Fortunately, all 10 crew members aboard the ship were unharmed and chose to remain on the vessel during the incident. The ship was able to refloat itself using its own power and subsequently anchored offshore as arrangements were made for its towing to port. Despite sustaining a small hole in the bow due to the grounding, there were no reports of water ingress. The tugboat "BB Connector" was deployed to assist the "Hagland Chief" and successfully towed it to Høllen for further examination. In addition, the lifeboat "Kaptein Egil J. Nygård" responded to provide assistance during the operation. At the time of the grounding, the "Hagland Chief" was en route from Gdansk to Høllen and was under the guidance of a pilot. The weather conditions were noted to be blustery, which likely contributed to the incident. For further details, including photographs, you can read the Norwegian report here: http://www.fvn.no/lokalt/sogne/Lastebat-pa-grunn-i-natt-2401698.html#.UX4eFH08zMI.