Estimates of damage to the Port of Kaohsiung in Taiwan following a dramatic collision involving a OOCL containership are running in excess of $20m.
One crane was toppled and an adjacent crane was severely damaged when they were hit by the 8,540-teu OOCL Durban (built 2011) on 2 June.
In a statement, Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC) said that the construction value of the two cranes is TWD 600m ($21m) in total.
It said that between 30 and 50 containers were also damaged in the incident. The cost of damage to the containers is currently being estimated.
The TIPC clarified that the OOCL Durban was heading toward wharf 66 when it first hit the 2,940-teu YM Constancy (built 2021) at wharf 70. The collision caused “minor damage”, to the Yang Ming Marine Transport-controlled ship. It then went on to hit the container crane.
TIPC said that the OOCL Durban had “strayed off course”. Two maintenance staff were also caught in the crane wreckage, although unharmed. A crane operator suffered damage to his arm but has been released from hospital.
OOCL’s protection and indemnity cover is with the North P&I Club, which could be liable to claims related to damage to the port facilities and containers, the YM Constancy, injury to workers and business disruption.
Wharf 70 has now been sealed off and loading and unloading operations have been suspended. TIPC said that it hoped the port operations would not be affected.
“During this period, the Port of Kaohsiung will coordinate with all of the port's container yards to ensure this incident does not impact berth utilisation or the normal handling of inbound and outbound container traffic at the port,” the TIPC said.
It added that the accident is now under investigation.
In a statement, OOCL said that the OOCL Durban did not suffer any damage to its hull in the incident. It said the vessel is chartered in from a third-party shipowner understood to be Japan’s Nissen Kaiun.
OOCL said: “Currently, we are maintaining close communications with the shipowner, their crew, and all relevant parties. The cause and other details of the incident are under investigation.”
