13 soldiers abandoned mission on Navy ship due to engine failure

Part of the crew of the naval patrol ship Mondego refused to leave the Funchal marina for the mission on Saturday evening, claiming severe damage to the ship. cm military sources and officially confirmed by the Navy. At stake are 13 of the 29 soldiers aboard the Mondego.

They are detained on the ship and interrogated, at the risk of answering for insubordination. The Navy, which assumes an engine failure, describes that they “refused to take appropriate positions in preparation for launch for the mission.” The military associations warn of the loss of investment that led to this situation and claim that the 13 soldiers were only performing guardianship duties and protecting the ship and their lives.

According to the military, the ship “does not have a proper sewerage system to store oily residues on board, which accumulate in the holds, greatly increasing the risk of fire.”

This is reported by the official source of the Navy. cm that “the mission entrusted to the Mondego ORS was short and close to shore, with good meteorological and oceanographic conditions” and that “the commander of the ship reported to the hierarchical chain that, despite the mentioned restrictions, he was in safe conditions.” complete the mission.” The command of the ship must evaluate “first of all” the state of readiness, and then “its hierarchical chain and the structure of the maintenance of the Navy.” “Naval Command (hierarchical chain) gave the opportunity to the command of the ship to cancel the same if necessary,” and the Office of Material Support did not consider the ship unsafe to sail, the Navy said in a statement.

The same official source describes that “warships, which are a collection of very complex and highly redundant systems, can operate in a very degraded mode without compromising safety”, and crews are trained in this and “ready to deal with their inherent risks”. which is part of martial law.” The Navy claims that four sergeants and nine enlisted men “assessed that this ship would not be ready to sail and refused to proceed with the assignment.” “However, some mentioned to the commander that if the task was to save lives, they would go to sea. Only the fleet and its hierarchical line should determine which ships are able to complete the assigned tasks. , – says the source of the official.

“The mentioned servicemen did not fulfill their military duties, usurped functions, competencies and duties that are not inherent in the respective positions and positions. These facts are still being investigated in detail, and the resulting disciplinary measures and consequences will be applied accordingly,” he assured. the same official source.

In the document to which cm had access, 13 soldiers claim that one of the two engines and one of the three generators was out of order. They point to these and other (oil leaks and fire hazards) “serious technical limitations that jeopardize the safety of personnel and materials and the performance of the associated task.” The situation was caused by a lack of maintenance as (due to budget cuts) there were few active ships and the Mondego was called on successive missions.

Sergeant Major Antonio Lima Coelho of the National Association of Sergeants pointed to cm his “preoccupation with conditions in which our soldiers are doing more and more missions, with fewer assets and fewer people, sometimes at the risk of minimal security.” “There is a decrease in investment not only in personnel, but also in material resources,” he says.

This was announced by Corporal Paulo Amaral of the Praças Association. cm that “the conditions under which the Mondego NRP is serving in the military zone of Madeira are not ideal.” “The ship is in need of several engine overhauls and maintenance with a delay of 2,000 hours of operation and generators with a delay of 4,000 consecutive hours. This is a big embarrassment for the staff on board,” explained Paulo Amaral.