Cargo Business Newswire

Thursday, May 5, 2016

COSCO box ship crashes into gantry crane at Port Said

The Suez Canal Container Terminal in Egypt's Port Said had a big fire Tuesday night when a COSCO containership crashed into a gantry crane as it was leaving the port.

According to reports, several cranes collapsed or were damaged, with stacks of containers knocked over and some even on fire. The crane's boom fell onto containers on the berth, and local media suggests it also hit a fuel tank. Hazardous chemicals in one of the containers has been cited as the cause of the fire.

More than 20 containers burned and two people were injured in the accident.

The accident is believed to have happened shortly after midnight on Tuesday when the stern of the vessel somehow backed into the crane, causing it to topple and fall. The Suez Canal Authority deployed fire engines and tugs to the scene and the fire was under control by dawn.

For more of the M Fame story: mfame.guru