Chinese
officials released details on a collision between an Evergreen containership
and a local bulk carrier. The accident last week required the evacuation of the
crew from the smaller bulker which was severely damaged and remains under
investigation.
The Qingdao Maritime Affairs Bureau
reported that the Ever Lucid (105,000 dwt) was outbound from
Qingdao after departing on March 13. The vessel was heading to Shanghai but on
the morning of March 14 collided with the bulker Huahai 78 off
the port of Qingdao.
No one
was injured aboard either vessel despite significant damage to the bulker. The
vessel, which is 289 feet (88 meters) in length, started taking on water
flooding its engine room. The bridge of the vessel was also severely damaged
leaving the vessel unable to navigate. The local authorities reported that an immediate
evacuation was required of the vessel. The 12 crewmembers were transferred to
the Ever Lucid to wait for transfer to shore
The
bulker was taking on water but it stabilized and remained afloat. It however
was severely listing. After analyzing the condition of the vessel, the maritime
authorities said the decision was made to begin towing the ship to port taking
advantage of the good weather and calm seas. It took two tugs and two escort
boats nearly 18 hours to get the bulker to port. The vessel was docked on March
15 in Qingdao.
The Ever Lucid,
registered in Taiwan and operating on a route between China and Asia to
Vancouver, Canada and Tacoma, Washington, suffered only minor damage to its bow. Built in 2014, the vessel has a
capacity of 8,500 TEU and is 1,099 feet (335 meters) in length. The
containership was taken into the anchorage off the port for the investigation.
The containership also remains in Qingdao.
No details were released on the
possible causes of the accident. Pictures appear to show hazy conditions which
might have limited visibility but the reports cited good weather conditions in
the area.