Safety First - People Ahead of Profits

The sea can be considered a study in contrasts. As any experienced seaman can attest, it can be absolutely beautiful, or an absolute nightmarish scenario, often times in the span of a few hours. One of the keys to keeping your vessels and crew safe is knowing what you can safely achieve in any given scenario which is where Hudson excels.

Hudson recently called the port of San Antonio, Chile in order to discharge cargo. Inclement weather caused some serious problems in terms of swell in and around the port area. Both the Hudson vessel and the MV Ocean Breeze anchored outside the port and waited for better weather. Hudson, recognizing the tumultuous conditions, opted to anchor the MV ID Tide further out to sea. This would mean Hudson would incur greater costs due to having to steam further out to sea and back again when conditions improve. These costs would be a direct result of time lost as well as increased bunker consumption. Apparently as can be seen for the photograph/you tube video the MV Ocean Breeze chose a different path.

As evidenced from the pictures, a decision such as where to anchor or ignore conditions at hand can be devastating as the MV Ocean Breeze beached as she was violently and helplessly pushed towards shore during the night. The power of the waves and wind almost completely ignoring her anchor, creating a potentially dangerous scenario for the equipment, sailors, cargo and even environmental concerns should a hull breach occur and a bunker tank be exposed to the open sea.

In the long run, the decision by Hudson to be completely satisfied with the safety of the cargo and crew during this time paid off as they were able to easily maneuver into the port during the next day and discharge their cargo without issue.

Hudson lives by its motto of “People Ahead of Profits" which once again helped diffuse a potentially dangerous situation to a successful end.