A CMA CGM boxship has been damaged after hitting the side at Barranquilla in Colombia.
The accident involving the 1,841-teu CMA CGM Balboa (built 2007) happened in the early hours of Wednesday near the Compas terminal.
The Malta-flagged feeder ship was carrying 2,720 tonnes of general cargo when it suffered a failure of its main machinery in the access channel to the port, El Espectator reported.
Maritime authorities activated emergency protocols.
Four tugs were deployed to assist the ship and move it into port.
Port captain Bernardo Silva Florez said: “We had an emergency with a vessel. The ship suffered machinery failures that are currently under investigation, which led to a loss of steering and failures in its main machinery.”
A government photo showed the container ship’s bow wedged into the concrete quay.
The ship, which had arrived from Cartagena on Wednesday, remained moored at the port on Friday.
Lucas Ariza, director of port company Asoportuaria, told El Heraldo: “The hull was cracked and the ballast tanks began to fill, which are designed for this, so that in the event of a collision they fill with water and the ship does not sink.”
No pollution
No injuries or pollution were reported, and cargo was allowed to be unloaded.
Ariza said: “The idea was to evaluate the extent of the damage and for the shipping company to decide whether to take it to dry dock or if it can sail to the next port.”
CMA CGM has been contacted for comment.
The vessel has insurance cover from Steamship Mutual in the UK.
It has a clean port state control inspection record.
