No, it is not D. Sebastião returning in a foggy dawn. The sound of a horn that has been invading the city of Lisbon in recent nights comes from a cargo ship anchored on the Tagus River – the Philippine flag “Western Miami”, which is standing in the Mar de Palha for fuel. The sound is meant to warn other vessels that a ship is docked but may not be seen because of the fog. And this sound may last until the end of the week, the captaincy of the Port of Lisbon told News Diary.
Lisboners have been awakened by the horn since December 28, the day the ship arrived in Lisbon from Gijón, Spain. Complaints have invaded social networks, but “Western Miami” is only complying with rule number 35 of the International Regulations to Prevent Collisions at Sea, which refers to “beeps in conditions of reduced visibility”.
In this case, point F of that regulation applies, which states that “a ship at anchor shall ring the bell in rapid cadence for about five seconds at intervals not exceeding one minute”. The rule also adds that “a anchored vessel may also emit three consecutive sounds, one short sound followed by a long and short sound, to signal an approaching ship and the possibility of collision. “
These kinds of beeps are not common because many large boats, such as Western Miami, already have more sophisticated systems to detect the presence of other vessels. But smaller boats may not be equipped with these tracking systems. As “Western Miami” is anchored in a transit zone where Transtejo boats pass, the captain of this ship has been sounding these precautions.
These are the horns that Lisboners have heard – and which, according to the Captaincy of the Port of Lisbon, may last until the end of the week if the boat stays here and the morning fog gives no respite. After that, and if you follow his planned route on the “Marine Traffic” page, you should head to Brownsville, USA, where it should arrive by January 20th.
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