Sergeants say Mondego anomalies posed ‘serious risk’ to crew

The president of the National Association of Noncommissioned Officers (ANS) said on Tuesday that the anomalies of the ship, which failed a mission north of Porto Santo after 13 people refused to board for safety reasons, posed a “serious risk” to the crew.

Saturday night, NRP Mondego failed to escort a Russian ship north of Porto Santo, Madeira, as 13 people (four sergeants and nine troops) refused to board for security reasons.

Lusa was contacted by ANS President Lima Coelho, said that the elements in question had already warned of several anomalies on the ship, and emphasized: “At that time it was not a crisis, it was the result of many situations that had already happened on the ship. board”.

In an interview with Lusa, the official criticized the stance taken by the Navy, which believed that the 13 operatives did not fulfill their military duties and usurped functions, competencies and duties that are not inherent in their positions and positions, believing that “no one can kill the herald “.

“The Navy has shown more willingness to kill the envoy than resolve the situation,” he said, adding, “Regardless of the rank or function we take on, we have a guardianship duty over subordinates.”

According to a document drawn up by 13 military personnel to whom Lusa had access, the Mondego NRP was ordered to escort the Russian ship north of Porto Santo at a time when weather forecasts “indicated a swell of 2.5-3 meters.”

A military guarantee that the commander of the NRP “Mondego” himself “assumed before the garrison that it was inconvenient for him to leave it with the technical limitations” of the ship.

Among the various technical limitations cited by the military was the fact that the engine and power generator were not running, and the ship did not have a proper sewer system to store oil residue on board, which accumulated in the holds, increasing the risk of fire. .

In a memo sent to the Lusa agency, the Navy confirmed that the NRP Mondego had “an engine failure” but ensured that the mission it was about to take was “short-term and close to the coast, with good meteoroceanographic conditions”.

“It wasn’t just the engine. The ship has several anomalies. If you go out to sea and a problem arises, there are no outsourcing companies that can solve it, it has to be someone who is there,” said Lima Coelho.

The Navy, for its part, ensured in the memo that warships “can operate in a very degraded mode without compromising safety” because they have “very complex and very redundant systems.”

“This assessment, again, belongs to the command line and Materials Management as the responsible technical body. Both organizations do not consider the vessel unsafe for navigation,” he added.