Wind speed: 11- 13 knots
Direction: Westerly 262°
Tide: 3.39m, 10cm above prediction
Cosco Shipping Star heavily laden with 15.6 metre draught from Singapore. Harwich Haven pilot launch boards a pilot at around 20:00 at the Sunk.
The pilot radios Harwich VTS to confirm he was onboard with a maximum draught of 15.6 metres with no defects. VTS replies that the deep draughted Cosco Shipping Azalea was off the berth and coming ahead so there was a ready berth planned port side to Felixstowe 9. VTS continues with the height of tide and wind on the Landguard. The pilot orders three tugs for berthing, first 7&8 centre lead aft, second by the Platters starboard quarter make fast and third inside the harbour bow to bow.
Svitzer Deben breaks away from the tug pontoon and heads out of the harbour to be the centre lead aft tug. Svitzer Sky heads out the harbour to be the quarter tug. Svitzer Shotley breaks away from Felixstowe 9 to be the centre lead forward tug.
Approaching the harbour, the Deben makes fast centre lead aft and prepares themselves for powered indirect into the harbour. The Sky in the meantime, makes fast on the quarter before the entrance to the harbour. Just approaching the Beach End turn, the pilot gets the Deben to move out onto the port side to take her around the corner at full line load. The pilot asks the Deben what weight they had on the line and was amazed that they had 105 tonnes on their line.
Shotley radios the pilot to get an update on their speed over the ground and then goes under the bow to make fast forward. The pilot gets the Deben to ease up and drop in astern with 50% weight then move onto the starboard side to stop the swing. The pilot gets the Shotley to move onto the port shoulder at 50% to start taking the bow around.
Deben moves onto the starboard side and starts taking the stern around. Sky does the same and builds weight for a port swing. Once swung, the pilot gets the tugs to get in check positions to ease her onto the berth.
Final tie up 4, 2 and 2 with springs first fore and aft.
