PORT KLANG, MALAYSIA:
Operations at Westport ran into a hiccup at 2.37pm Saturday when a berthing vessel grazed a docked vessel.
The accident damaged a leg of one of the quay cranes and caused three shipping containers to fall off the berthing vessel, MV Northern Democrat.
The reason for the accident was higher speed and strong wind, which caused drifting of the container carrier MOL Empire over the already berthed Northern Democrat, which was performing cargo handling operations at same time.
Operations on the docked vessel, MV MOL Empire, have since resumed and have been certified safe.
A Westport Malaysia said in a statement that the cargo vessel has since been safely moved to the pilot station.
“The three boxes are currently being lifted from the water. We are still studying the estimated cost of the damage. No casualties have been reported,” it said.
The statement added that MV MOL Empire should sail off safely once its operations were completed.
“As for MV Northern Democrat, it will remain at the pilot station before it berths at the port later,” it said.
The statement said that operations had resumed without any delay, adding that the main gate where ships enter Northport and Westport remained open.
About the Vessels:
- Container ship MOL Empire, IMO 9407160, dwt 67000, capacity 5041TEU, built 2010, flag HK, The deadweight of the vessel is 67,000 DWT and the gross tonnage is 54,940 GRT. The ship was built in 2010 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in their shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea.
- Container ship Northern Democrat, IMO 9391787, dwt 41986, capacity 3534 TEU, built 2009, flag Liberia, manager NORDDEUTSCHE REEDEREI SCHULDT, Germany. The deadweight of the vessel is 41,986 DWT and the gross tonnage is 36,007 GRT. The ship is owned by Norddeutsche Reederei and built in 2009 by Shanghai Shipyard.
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Here are some past container vessel collision incidents in Malaysia
Containerships Catch Fire After Colliding at Malaysia’s Port Klang
The containerships involved were the Marshall Islands-flagged MV San Felipe and the Maltese-flagged MV Al Riffa. A photo from the scene shows a large fire in the cargo area of the San Felipe and damage to some of the containers on deck.
A spokesman for the Port Klang Fire and Rescue Services Department said that they were notified of the incident at approximately 8 p.m. local time, according to reports. The spokesman added that a fire broke out onboard the Al Riffa and it was towed away from the scene to prevent the fire from spreading to the wharf.
No injuries have been reported.
Looking at the AIS data from both vessels, it appears the inbound MV San Felipe struck the moored Al Riffa.
Firefighting operations were expected to continue overnight.
The 13,500 TEU MV Al Riffa is part of the UASC fleet and was delivered in 2012.
Update: Full Statement below from Bernhard Schulte Ship Management, managers of the 8,700 TEU San Felipe is below:
Bernhard Schulte Ship Management report that at approximately 8pm local time this evening (October 28), its managed container vessel ‘San Felipe’ while approaching the berth, with a Pilot on board, at Port Kelang, Malaysia, came into contact with the container vessel ‘Al Riffa’, which was moored alongside the terminal. The contact resulted in a fire in a container stack on the forward sections of both vessels. The fire has been controlled on board the ‘San Felipe’, which moved to a safe anchorage to assess the damage.
There are no injuries to crew as a result of the incident. Tugs are standing by for further assistance, if necessary.
Immediately after the incident the local port authorities and all relevant parties were advised.
The exact cause of the incident is yet unknown. A full investigation will follow.
‘San Felipe’ is a 8700 TEU, Marshall Islands flagged container ship.