Barge takes out crane at Keelung port

A ship accidentally knocked down an existing quay crane at Keelung Port in Taiwan while docking to unload another pair of new cranes.

The accident occurred on Pier 20 at the port on Monday afternoon. Fortunately, there were no casualties or injuries reported. However, the damage is estimated at around NT$300m ($9.3m). The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

The vessel was travelling at a speed of 1.9 knots at the moment it hit the crane. A video of the incident shows one of the new cranes onboard the vessel toppling over the old one while the vessel was docking, crushing a number of containers on the quayside in the process.

After the incident, police and firefighters arrived at the scene to assist with the incident. Reports from local media suggest four empty and one full containers were damaged as well as one hangar.

Since the incident involved Piers 20 and 21, the port moved berthing operations to Pier 19 so that the terminal could continue operations until the accident has been cleared up.

Both cranes are owned by the China Container Terminal Corporation. Reports indicate that both the new and old collapsed cranes were insured.

The ship carrying the new cranes is owned by ZPMC from China, the world’s largest crane manufacturer. The accident happened on the day the Chinese navy was carrying out drills surrounding the island of Taiwan.

Source: Splash 247

Sharing is caring!