Iceland’s new coastguard ship, which is being built in Chile, was damaged in the tsunami caused by this week’s devastating earthquake.
The Icelandic Coastguard website describes how a 2.5 metre tsunami breached the dry dock the ship, Thor, is currently in. It swept away the ship’s support struts, leaving the boat listing at a 30 degree angle.
It is also thought a significant amount of seawater got into the engine room – which will have caused severe damage, Visir.is reports. The delays caused by the damage to both ship and shipyard will mean it is many moths before Thor is seaworthy again.
The construction of the ship was in its closing stages and it had been hoped it could sail to Iceland in June; but this will definitely not happen now.
Six Icelandic and Danish specialists in Chile to oversee the final setup and configuration of the boat are now preparing to return to Europe.
(Photo: Icelandic Coastguard)
Prayer, prayer, prayer…
But what I dont understand is…. How can a ship be damanged in an earthquake if its in the water? Maybe it was near the dock and edged it to much?
Thor was hit by a tsunami (flood wave) caused by the earthquake, the shipyard where Thor is being built is in Concepcion who was badly hit by the quake, for some reason Thor was put in a floating dock 2 weeks sooner than was intended, that protected the her from the flood, luckely a cargo container fell into the dock and under the ship, preventing the ship from leaning more than 30°
so the damage was not as bad as could be expected.
http://www.lhg.is/starfsemi/adgerdasvid/nyttvardskipogflugvel/Vardskip/nr/1636
http://www.lhg.is/starfsemi/adgerdasvid/nyttvardskipogflugvel/Vardskip/nr/1571