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How difficult is it to operate a massive container ship? Experts show why it’s so hard to avoid bridge crashes
BOURNE – A massive container ship that had lost power slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday morning, sending vehicles and people into the water below. Mariners in Massachusetts said the tragedy shows just how difficult it is to operate the vessels.
Since navigating through bridges is such a common scenario for any mariner, it’s a big part of the training at Massachusetts Maritime Academy at the entrance to Cape Cod.
How cargo ship operators train
When the staff awoke to reports of tragedy in Baltimore, the news hit home.
“There’s no substitute for being at sea,” said captain Michael Burns, executive director of the school’s Maritime Center for Responsible Energy, which houses the next best thing. It’s a video-game quality simulator to prepare for real-life scenarios that are far from any game.
CBS Boston
In a demonstration Tuesday, Burns powered the system up with a view from a container ship approaching the Verrazzano Bridge in New York City.
How long does it take to stop a cargo ship?
“It’s extremely challenging, and takes years of experience and training in order to be able to do this safely,” he said. “It can take up to a mile for some of these ships to get stopped, depending on the circumstances, so we really need to think well out, miles ahead of the ship.”
Near Mass Maritime, ships regularly move through Cape Cod Bridges some 60 miles south of the major cargo ships pulling into the Port of Boston.
“You get all that force, all that momentum just going, sliding through the water,” said captain Angel Montanez, who’s an assistant port engineer in Boston’s port. “If you’re going so fast in the water, you just don’t have brakes. You just can’t stop, or drop the anchor, because by the time the anchor goes out and grabs something, just swings around or stops it from going the direction it’s going, it’s too late.”
What can be learned from Baltimore bridge collapse
What happened in Baltimore is a tragedy that he and the instructors at Mass Maritime Academy hope the industry can learn from.
“Certainly we try to prepare our cadets for these type of scenarios,” Burns said. “Every ship has emergency procedures for these type of things.”
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How to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears NFL game today: Livestream options, more
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The Minnesota Vikings will take on the Chicago Bears today. The Vikings are currently 8-2, an impressive run so far this season, and will be looking to add a fourth win to their current streak after last Sunday’s 23-13 win against the Tennessee Titans. The Bears, on the other hand, are entering this game on the heels of a four-game losing streak after a tough 20-19 loss against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday.
Here’s how and when you can watch the Vikings vs. Bears game today, whether or not you have cable.
How and when to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
The Vikings vs. Bears game will be played on Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT). The game will air on Fox and stream on Fubo and the platforms featured below.
How and when to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears game without cable
You can watch this week’s NFL game on Fox via several streaming services. All you need is an internet connection and one of the top options outlined below.
Fubo offers you an easy, user-friendly way to watch NFL games on CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network, plus NCAA football channels. The Pro tier includes 200+ channels and unlimited DVR, while the Elite with Sports Plus tier adds NFL RedZone and 4K resolution. New subscribers get a seven-day free trial and all plans allow streaming on up to 10 screens simultaneously.
You can watch today’s game with a subscription to Sling’s Orange + Blue tier, which includes ESPN, ABC, NBC, and Fox. The plan offers 46 channels with local NFL games, nationally broadcast games and 50 hours of DVR storage. For complete NFL coverage, add Paramount+ to get CBS games, or upgrade with the Sports Extra add-on for additional sports channels like Golf Channel, NBA TV and NFL RedZone.
Watching NFL games, including Fox broadcasts, is simple with Hulu + Live TV, which includes 90 channels, unlimited DVR storage, and access to NFL preseason games, live regular season games and studio shows. The service includes ESPN+ and Disney+ in the subscription.
Want to watch today’s game live on your smartphone? If so, NFL+ streaming service is the solution you’re looking for. It lets you watch NFL Network and out-of-market games on mobile devices, with an upgrade option to NFL+ Premium that includes NFL RedZone for watching up to eight games simultaneously. Note that NFL+ only works on phones and tablets, not TVs.
