Handysize containership Hansa Meersburg crashed into a crane while berthing at Taiwan’s Keelung Port on Monday night.
The crane collapsed after the collision and damaged over 50 containers onboard the 1,740 teu ship. The ship hull and part of the wharf were also damaged.
A port worker suffered minor injuries in the incident and has been sent to hospital for treatment.
The Hansa Meersburg is owned by German owner Leonhardt and Blumberg and operated by Taiwanese company Cheng Lie Navigation.
The port authority has started investigations into the incident and the vessel has been banned from leaving the port until the damage assessment is complete.
Given the substantial cost of a ship-to-shore container handling gantry crane, one would surmise that every reasonable precaution would be taken in order to ensure that docking/undocking operations will not result in a knockdown. Yet, if the record is closely examined, dozens have been lost over the years. Many examples are found in scrolling down the bullet points at this page: http://www.blueoceana.com/?p=1647