The crew on 'Cable One' have tried a lot of different things, but during 14 days of July they will try something completely new. One of the more peculiar jobs was when 'Cable One' and the crew prevented an oil disaster in the Baltic. The metres long Chinese oil tanker 'Fu Shan Hai' sank in the Baltic, and authorities feared that 1.
The task of 'Cable One' was to seal the oil tanks and later pump away oil and diesel from the wreck of 'Fu Shan Hai. But from the beginning of July it is not a wrecked chinese tanker but a 30 metres long Viking ship on a test sail, 'Cable One' is assisting, as an escort ship on the long way from Hundested to the Orkneys.
After this, a Scottish escort ship will escort the Sea Stallion through the difficult waters north and east of Scotland and all the rest of the way to Dublin. The board of directors of the Viking Ship Museum have demanded that an escort ship will constantly follow the Sea Stallion. In case of an accient on the Sea Stallion or a wreckage, the escort ship can help. No one have sailed a Viking warship like the Sea Stallion for the last years.
Basically, the purpose of the practising has been to regain a knowledge lost a long time ago. However, even though we've done everything we could to improve the security, it is never safe to sail an open ship through some of the most challenging waters of Europe.
It was risky in the Viking Age - and it is risky today. That's the reason for the escort ships, who can help us if the worst comes to the worst," Carsten Hvid explains. But with the cooperation with 'Cable One' new plans have been made; some parts of the Limfjorden are too shallow for 'Cable One.
