AsiaContainersPorts and Logistics

Busan berth will be offline for months after boxship prang takes out multiple cranes

Officials at Busan New Port say that its seventh berth will be out of action for months as cleanup operations get underway to remove shattered crane debris following Monday’s dramatic boxship accident.

Captured on video, and seen by more than 300,000 people on Splash’s YouTube channel already, the Japanese controlled 13,900 teu Milano Bridge ploughed into a number of cranes when coming into berth on Monday at the Korean port, also hitting the 10,000 teu Seaspan Ganges moored in front of it.

One crane collapsed with much of the debris falling onto the aft of the giant Japanese boxship while another four cranes were knocked off their rails and cannot be moved at present. One of these cranes knocked off its rails is viewed by authorities as an additional collapse risk.

Remarkably just one person was injured in the industrial carnage. The driver of the crane that collapsed hurt his ankle and was sent to hospital, having leapt five metres to safety as the ship made contact with the quayside.

The Busan Coast Guard is investigating the accident, and has interviewed the captain and the pilot with further interviews carrying on today.

The Milano Bridge, operated by Ocean Network Express (ONE) and owned by Doun Kisen, had recently been in drydock for collision repairs. THE Alliance, which ONE is a member of, has found alternative tonnage to replace the Milano Bridge on its scheduled service to the Mediterranean.

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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