On Jan 16, a general cargo ship “Erasmos” reportedly collided with an oil tanker “Blue Emerald” at the port of Leixões. The accident resulted in the closure of an oil terminal and the activation of the emergency plan.
The Maritime Police opened an investigation into the cause of the incident, which caused a loss of millions of Euros and left the terminal dock with significant damage.
The general cargo ship “Erasmos”, carrying a cargo of grain from Santander, had notified the port of Leixões of its arrival, but a steering failure caused it to sail towards the oil terminal and collide with the “Blue Emerald” which was moored there.
The collision caused serious damage to the deck area at the aft of the tanker. The impact also caused damage to a structure of the terminal and therefore the emergency plan was triggered.
There were no casualties from the incident and the collision did not result in any spillage due to the automatic ship release system with which the Galp equipped all its cargo arms.
The damage to the terminal (Posto B) was still being evaluated by experts, and operations should resume start of next week. Both ships were found moored on the port’s anchorage and reports say that the “Eramos” has been repaired and undergoing sea tests, on success may start on the voyage.
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Source: Portos de Portugal
