LogFAQs > #952230627

Have you ever driven/travelled down the interstate with tractor trailers and crosswind gusts? You can often feel them in a car that's 4-5k pounds, but a tractor trailer is up to 90k pounds... they feel it even more.

Similiar concept, the freighter is a massive flat surface and it acts like a sail. Because it's essentially drifting it can be slightly shoved off course. The turn radius/reaction time on a freighter is far far greater than say a fishing boat or speed boat, so it might not have been noticed in time and enough wind shoved it.

As for skyscrapers, they're like wings in that air travels faster around them iirc, because it's trying to wrap around/compress.

TL:DR - The freighter acted like a big sideways sail boat, weight or displacement isn't going to create friction. It's the design of the hull that might resist due to lateral motion, but we've greatly improved hull design thanks to ww2.

Plus once it's started moving it's difficult to stop, no brakes or wheels for steering.