Cargo loading belt cited in “Rocknes” capsizing

Cargo loading belt cited in “Rocknes” capsizing

Cargo loading belt cited in “Rocknes” capsizing

   A maritime inquiry in Bergen, Norway, convened to investigate the capsizing of the bulkship “Rocknes” Jan. 19 with the loss of 18 lives, heard testimony Wednesday that a loading belt had failed to evenly spread cargo.
   Capt. Olav Tangedal, who was on leave when the accident occurred, told the inquiry that the “Rocknes” had a load calculator on a computer that would issue a warning in a red window if stability limits were exceeded.
   A Dutch machinist who was in the “Rocknes'” control room Jan. 19 testified that a computer screen displayed a blinking red message that said “critical.”
   Both Tangedal and the machinist said the vessel’s cargo of stones was not distributed evenly through the hold.
   The unequal spreading of stones created a void on the starboard side of the cargo hold that filled quickly when the ship struck bottom, and may have expedited its capsizing.