M/F OstendSpirit Intentionally Runs Itself Aground – But Why?

You don't see this everyday...reminds me of a movie.  Hey, that ship is NOT slowing down and we might want to back up?

Truth is, this was actually done on purpose.  The ship, M/F OstendSpirit, had given 22 years of faithful service crossing the English Channel and was being retired and sold for scrap.

The vessel set sail one last time two weeks ago for it's final destination, a scrapyard in Turkey.  As high tech as we might think scrapping a ship might be, not so much. It's actually easier just to run the ship aground to tear it apart, so, that's what the Captain did. I can't imagine what that must have been like for a Captain to be told to throttle it up and hammer it onto dry ground...what a rush.

Watch the video...The thing I am most impressed with is how threaded the needle which couldn't have been an easy task with a vessel that size.  The fact that he didn't line himself up for a straight shot almost tells me he just wanted to see if he could do it this way or did so on a bet.  Either way, how can you go wrong.  It's not like you are going to get fired for beaching a ship. Awesome and nice piloting Captain!