Ship that ran aground in Cienfuegos Bay arrives in port

CIENFUEGOS, Cuba, May 31 (ACN) The ship Destint, stranded with 29 thousand tons of rice at the entrance of the bay of Cienfuegos, was already launched and anchored today by experts from the Practicos del Puerto Centro Sur company.

Rafael Gonzalez Pavon, director of that entity that serves the southern coves of Cuba from Ciego de Avila to Cienfuegos provinces, told ACN exclusively that at 11:10 p.m. on Tuesday night - at the time of the high tide - they began to carry out the maneuvers to remove the boat from its beaching.

The tugboats Perla del Sur and Aries II, the most modern tugboat in the province, took over the operations.

These actions were carried out after the approval of specialists and divers, and after both the ship's captain and the crew confirmed that the ship was free of damage to the hull and other parts of its structure.

Gonzalez Pavon indicated that the ship is 170 meters long and 27 meters wide, as well as powerful machines for sailing.

He added that larger vessels such as the Petion and Sandino tankers have arrived in the Cienfuegos cove, with a length of 228 meters and a higher load, although they entered during the day accompanied by two tugboats and an hour away from the tide stop.

On the other hand, the arrival of the rice ship found unfavorable conditions such as a turbulent Jagua bay due to the discharge of four rivers that had been swollen by the intense rains of the subtropical storm Alberto, and the resulting dragging of tree branches.

Pavón, with several decades of experience, said that it is much more difficult to maneuver a boat in "fresh" water or river water than in the open sea, because the fresh waters hinder buoyancy and especially if they are full of dirt such as the high volumes of flooding tributary to the southern bay these rainy days.

He assured that when the pilots of the port talk about the famous Pasacaballos Winch, it is not just another myth, but a challenge they must face every day, because in the narrow pass the boats must make a very tight turn, of 82 degrees, to dominate the currents and access the entrance to the bay.