OLBIA. The bulletin sent to the Captaincy seems like a sad copy and paste of last April 23: the ship MSC Orchestra will not enter the port of Olbia for security reasons. The cause is the wind which at the time of the change of course towards Genoa was strengthening at around 12 knots. With today’s landing there are three landings canceled by the giants of the sea in just 10 days: twice that MSC Orchestra (April 23 and May 3) and a la Marella Explorer 2 (April 24). The map on the cover highlights the rotation of the ship and the consequent change of course.
As already highlighted by Olbianova in the two previous reports, the security situation in the port is now a serious problem which has already deprived the city of the disembarkation of over 6 thousand passengers with all the resulting tourist activities: disembarkations, embarkations, tours, excursions and etc.
L’Unimare, shipping agent for MSC Crociere, confirms that the ship, which was scheduled to dock this morning, headed straight for Genoa due to the wind. It must be clarified that the safety of the landing place is not an objective factor but it is the commander who decides, in total autonomy, whether to approach or not. His assessment is final. If he believes that the port of Olbia, in the presence of wind and only one tugboat available, is unsafe, he turns offshore and changes route. As he did this morning too. The relationship between the enormous size of the ship, the wind and the use of a single tugboat evidently does not allow for a peaceful landing.
The wind, therefore, is not the only determining component the security of a first class port like that of Olbia. Also this morning, in fact, the Star Flyer, the splendid 111 meter long four-masted schooner, capable of accommodating 170 people, regularly landed on the White Island. The vessel, much smaller and more maneuverable than cruise ships like the Orchestra (294 meters by 60 meters high!), only needs the only active tugboat in the city to moor safely despite the wind.
At this point a question is legitimate: if even this single tug suffered a breakdown or any other technical problem, what would happen? Would the whole port stop?
It is therefore necessary to understand whether we can intervene to raise the safety standards of the Olbia airport. It is certainly clear that we can do little against the wind but, at the same time, the White Island, Italy’s leading passenger port according to Assotrasporti with over 3 million transits, cannot be left exclusively at the mercy of the wind.
And then it would be desirable for a technical table to be opened to discuss the general situation between all the port operators including the Maritime Directorate and the Sardinia Sea Port System Authority. At stake is the risk of losing further landings if action is not taken quickly.
