A pilot with knowledge of berthing operations at DP World’s Jebel Ali Port says the collision between a CMA-CGM container ship and STS crane that caused the crane to collapse was likely the result of the ship not turning fast enough.
Turn too sharp for new type of ships:
“The problem is that the turn is too sharp for these new VLCCs [Very Large Container Carriers],” the pilot, who asked not to be named, was quoted as saying. He said that in a situation where the ship is not turning fast enough “you have two choices, either you go full astern and hope you stop in time, or you increase speed to get more headway”.
The pilot said that it appears from the CCTV footage of the accident, that the pilot involved in the incident had tried to power through the turn, and then tried to slow the vessel too late, hitting the quay and one of its cranes at around 2-knots.
Late manoeuvre:
“It appears that he was trying to help port control, there was a vessel outbound from the general cargo terminal and what he’d intended to do was stop the CMA CGM vessel and use the tugs to turn her 270 degrees and back into the berth. Because of the oncoming ship, he seems to have changed his manoeuvring plan and instead turned into the T1 basin, with his tugs in the wrong position to provide assistance.”
Ten people were injured at Jebel Ali Port, Terminal 1, when a CMA CGM container vessel collided with the harbour wall striking the leg of a quay crane and causing it to fall.
Responded within minutes:
The safety teams responded immediately to the incident and those injured were sent to the DP World Medical Clinic at the terminal. One of them had a broken arm and leg and had to be transferred to another hospital. He is now in a stable position, the report said.
The safety team of the head office arrived on the site within five minutes, and working with external emergency response teams, the area was evacuated and safety drones also deployed to survey the area to locate anyone in need of medical assistance, the report said.
Investigation underway:
An investigation is currently underway to establish the cause of the incident. The collapsed quay crane will be removed following all necessary safety procedures once the investigation has been completed.
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Source: Arabian Supply Chain
