PACIFIC PRINCESS enters the port of Yalta during a storm / Photo Report of BSNews

PACIFIC PRINCESS and ships in the Yalta harbor during the storm of November,11, 2012. Photo by Andrei Klimenko, BSNews

Andrei KLIMENKO, BSNews (text, maps, photo), Illya ZHYRNOV (photo) On November 11, 2012, the 5th anniversary of the catastrophic storm of 2007, Yalta had bright sunshine, gusty wind and considerable storm. Entering its harbor cruise liner PACIFIC PRINCESS crushed the Yalta port sea buoy, while in the roads 7-8 bulk carriers were waiting the rough weather out. See our latest photo report...

On 2012-11-11 at about 09:00 (LT) cruise liner PACIFIC PRINCESS approached Yalta. The town welcomed her with bright sunshine, choppy wind and growing storm. The air temperature was about 10-12 °C.

Iconographics by BSNews, based on blacksea.sytes.net

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

Before entering the liner decided to turn around in order to enter the harbour going astern. A pilot boat can seen to her right.

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

The tugboat Krymchanin was out to meet and assist the liner. The photo shows that the wind at that time was already rather strong...

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

The ship starts to turn around her axis in a clockwise direction ...

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

The next photo perfectly shows how moving pilot boat cuts through the water with her bow. It allows to get clear notion of wind capacity…By the way, the upper left corner partially features small dry cargo carrier BLUES riding a gale in the Yalta harbour.

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

The next photo shows how the ship approached a navigating mark after turning broadside on wind...

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

It is the so-called "easterly spar buoy", which signals the ship to move away from it in eastren direction as there is some hazard to the west of it. Characteristic attributes of "a spar buoy " are two black cones positioned one above the other with their bases facing the midpoint. And here is its location – right opposite the area of the Uchan Su (Vodopadnaya) river inflow into the sea i.e. where the Yalta promenade reaches the Oreanda Hotel...

Photo by Andrei Klimenko, BSNews

This buoy is 200 meters away from the coastline. If you look at the provided below navigation map, then it becomes clear that it warns that just in 100 meters distance from it the depth is only 4 meters...

Инфографика BSNews на основе blacksea.sytes.net

The next photos clearly illustrate that the ship, turned with her left broadside on north-easter, is carried down by the wind towards this navigating mark...

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

As it is clear that the liner is carried downwind towards the coast, the tugboat Krymchanin is to intervene.

KRYMCHANIN: Ship Type:Tug. Year Built: 1969. Gross Tonnage:226, DeadWeight: 46 t. IMO: 8929317. MMSI: 272032800.

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

The tugboat "Krymchanin" comes between the liner and the coast to prevent the driftage of the ship ... Meanwhile, the ship engines are running really fast…

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

When the joint efforts helped the liner to start moving in the right direction, it was possible to see the main victim - the buoy with the "easterly spar", or rather without it: the next photo shows that two black cones on top of the buoy are gone... 

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

In the interim, the ship with the help of two tugs of the Yalta port - "Krymchanin" with yellow superstructure and "Yaltinets" with white one- entered the harbor to shelter herself behind the pier.

YALTINETS: Ship Type: Tug. Length x Breadth: 22 m X 6 m. Speed recorded (Max / Average): 6.5 / 6.2 knots. Flag: Ukraine [UA] .Call Sign: UDUB. MMSI: 272032900.

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

Photo by Illya Zhyrnov, Yalta, especially for BSNews

* * *

On November 11, 2012 as at 13:30 (LT) minimum 7 ships were waiting the rough weather out in the Yalta harbor – not counting cruise liner PACIFIC PRINCESS in the port of Yalta. Wind velocity (gusts) - up to15-20 m/sec, wave height - about 2 m, storm force, visually - 4-5.

PACIFIC PRINCESS: Ship Type: Passengers ship. Year Built: 1999. Length x Breadth: 180 m X 33 m
Gross Tonnage: 30277, DeadWeight: 2700 t. Speed recorded (Max / Average): 18.4 / 15.1 knots. Flag: Bermuda [BM] . Call Sign: ZCDS3. IMO: 9187887, MMSI: 310504000.

Home port: Hamilton. Class society: Bureau Veritas. Builder: Stx France (Nantes Saint Nazaire, France). Owner: Princess Cruises Lines (Valencia Ca, U.s.a.). Manager: Princess Cruises Lines (Valencia Ca, U.s.a.). Double occupancy/max occupancy: 690 / 824. Crew: 373.

English Translation by Alexey Soloviev, BSNews

The data from websites: blacksea.sytes.net,
marinetraffic.com, shipspotting.comwere used by BSNews
preparing matters for the «Now at the Black and Azov Seas ports» Project