Carrier

The former owners of the "Carrier" have criticised quarry operators for not giving their crew appropriate advice after the ship ran aground in strong winds and large waves on Apr 3, 2012, while loading limestone at Raynes Jetty at Llanddulas. All seven Polish crew members had been winched to safety by helicopter. Following a critical report by the Marine Accident Investigation Board on May 21, the Reederei Erwin Strahlmann stated that the Raynes Jetty can be a dangerous terminal in certain weather conditions. Ships loading expect and need accurate and expert advice from the terminal staff. The MAIB report indicated this was lacking. The company is no longer sending ships to Raynes Jetty since the loss of the "Carrier". The MAIB report had raised questions about the experience and guidance of jetty operators, adding staff allowed the "Carrier" to continue loading despite the bad weather conditions. The jetty is owned by Cemex Ltd. and is used to export limestone aggregates directly from Raynes Quarry. The Cemex Ltd. now was considering the findings of the report by the Marine Accident Investigation Bureau into the incident at Raynes Wharf involving the "Carrier". The investigation also had revealed there was a delay in scrambling rescue helicopters because all four helicopters at RAF Valley were unserviceable and aircraft from Yorkshire had to be launched instead. Reederei Erwin Strahlmann, who are still considering the report, thanked the rescue authorities but voiced their concerns over the serviceability of helicopters. An RAF statement on May 22 said it was extremely unusual for this many SAR helicopters to be unserviceable with such substantial technical faults. However, despite the difficulties encountered, well rehearsed back up plans were rapidly initiated and appropriate SAR assistance was provided as soon as was humanly possible. The Met Office and the Maritime and Coastal Agency said they were considering recommendations made by the MAIB over terms used in maritime weather forecasts. The "Carrier"’s Polish master was said to be unsure of the meaning of some of the terms used. The MAIB said terms like “later”, “soon” and “imminent”, as used by the UK Met Office were not part of the “international meteorological lexicon” and could confuse foreign sailors.

Technical problems with rescue helicopters at RAF Valley on Anglesey delayed the rescue of the "Carrier" Crew in Apri 2012. An RAF helicopter from Yorkshire instead battled snowstorms to reach the "Carrier" off Conwy. The ship's Polish master did not understand some UK maritime weather forecast terms, a marine accident investigation found out. The investigators said it was fortunate the seven crew were rescued unharmed. The RAF in a statement said only two of the four helicopters at Valley were equipped for search and rescue but conceded neither was operable that night. Report with video: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22630237

The Transport Minister Carl Sargeant welcomed that the wreck removal of the "Carrier" has been completed ahead of schedule. The closure of the cycleway was necessary to complete the work. The Minister thanked local residents and visitors for their patience and co-operation while this work was on-going. The cycleway is now open as the salvage operation has been completed safely and successfully. Temporary speed restrictions which were put in place regarding this incident will also be lifted on May 25.