Container Ship stuck on Woodhouse Reef

[HMan]

Hi to all,
Unfortunately this has been happening for a long time due to the narrow passage, sometimes poor navigation of the captain's, lights not functioning and a myriad of other reason's but mostly due to human error.

I had the pleasure to work these waters for a long time and personally dealt with many groundings and salvage operations in the 70's and 80's. Here are a few images some of you may appreciate, ranging from the Lara and Louellia at the Straits, to the Yolanda at Ras Mohamed to some of the wrecks at Abu Nuhas. Hope you enjoy.

Loullia Louella goes aground at Gordon Reef 1981 photo - Howard Rosenstein photos at pbase.com

Loullia On the Tiran reef photo - Howard Rosenstein photos at pbase.com

Lara - Lara on the Tiran Reef photo - Howard Rosenstein photos at pbase.com

Abu Nuhas 1979 Wreck at Abu Nuhaus 1979 photo - Howard Rosenstein photos at pbase.com

Yolanda Ras Mohamed 1981 The Yolanda Sinks Ras Mohamed 1979 photo - Howard Rosenstein photos at pbase.com

The Yolanda Sinks Ras Mohamed 1979 photo - Howard Rosenstein photos at pbase.com

Hope you enjoy and think about how we can better preserve this amazing area and keep it open for the international diving community, it can go either way now.

Peace
Howard

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---------- Post added January 27th, 2013 at 10:39 PM ----------

One more image that can put it into perspective,
tiran straits photo - Howard Rosenstein photos at pbase.com
The Woodhouse is the second reef from the top, the long one, just south of the Jacskon Reef and just north of the Thomas Reef.
Gordon reef is at the bottom and Ras Nasrani on the Sinai shore is opposite the Gordon Reef light beacon and the narrowest part of the passage.

Hi to all,
Unfortunately this has been happening for a long time due to the narrow passage, sometimes poor navigation of the captain's, lights not functioning and a myriad of other reason's but mostly due to human error.

I had the pleasure to work these waters for a long time and personally dealt with many groundings and salvage operations in the 70's and 80's. Here are a few images some of you may appreciate, ranging from the Lara and Louellia at the Straits, to the Yolanda at Ras Mohamed to some of the wrecks at Abu Nuhas. Hope you enjoy.

Loullia Louella goes aground at Gordon Reef 1981 photo - Howard Rosenstein photos at pbase.com

Loullia On the Tiran reef photo - Howard Rosenstein photos at pbase.com

Lara - Lara on the Tiran Reef photo - Howard Rosenstein photos at pbase.com

Abu Nuhas 1979 Wreck at Abu Nuhaus 1979 photo - Howard Rosenstein photos at pbase.com

Yolanda Ras Mohamed 1981 The Yolanda Sinks Ras Mohamed 1979 photo - Howard Rosenstein photos at pbase.com

The Yolanda Sinks Ras Mohamed 1979 photo - Howard Rosenstein photos at pbase.com

Hope you enjoy and think about how we can better preserve this amazing area and keep it open for the international diving community, it can go either way now.

Peace
Howard

[/QUOTE]

 

[divebunnie]

Sadly the ship has run aground on the prettiest part of Woodhouse Reef... right near the garden on its most North Easterly end, just before the "Washing Machine" and Jackson Reef. Such a shame.

We had been contemplating as to whether the skipper had been trying to get between the two reefs, but have since heard that it hit the reef at night during one of the pretty windy storms we have had recently. Sand had made the visibility so cloudy that the skipper could not see the light houses on Jackson and Laguna (between which the boats heading North are meant to pass). Having said that, I thought that was why everyone now used GPS... although maybe that can get thrown out by sandstorms, I don't know. I am no a GPS expert.

I just hope that it is removed as soon as possible from the reef, so that it can begin to make some kind of recovery (which will take a good few years for sure).