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Bunker spill dampens Hamburg birthday celebrations

Photo of Sam Chambers Sam ChambersMay 9, 2016
2 Less than a minute

It was the Port of Hamburg’s birthday over the weekend, but celebrations were dampened by two incidents. On Saturday a new bridge malfunctioned, failing to open and close, leading to some vessel traffic.

More seriously, yesterday morning a pilot boat hit the 5,782 teu CMA CGM Bellini, ripping a gash out of the hull while it was docking at the Waltershofer Hafen. Around five cubic metres of bunker fuel spilled into the water. More than 50 people were deployed to the scene and fuel was pumped out from the breached tank, while clean up operations continued throughout the day.

The port celebrated its 827th birthday over the weekend with a series of events.

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Photo of Sam Chambers Sam ChambersMay 9, 2016
2 Less than a minute
Photo of Sam Chambers

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.
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