The 23,750-TEU container ship MSC Mia has pulled over a container crane on leaving the Spanish port of Valencia. The crane operator was slightly injured.
The 400-metre long ship dragged the crane’s jib while manoeuvring. It broke off, after which the entire structure collapsed. The crane driver was taken to hospital with a head wound and a few broken ribs. The MSC Mia initially had to anchor outside the port after the accident, but is now on its way to the Italian port of Gioia Tauro.
Not built for latest generation container ships
The Mia is one of MSC’s ships of the new Gülsün class and one of the world’s largest container ships. Crane accidents with the latest generation of super ships up to almost 24,000 TEU have become more common recently. The vast majority of container cranes are not built for ships of this size.
Fully loaded, these ships can usually not moor under the cranes when the jib is folded down. Instead, the ship is first moored and the cranes only lower the jib after that.
Picture by Daniel Ramirez.
This article first appeared in Dutch on Nieuwsblad Transport, a publication of SWZ|Maritime’s publishing partner Promedia.
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