Posted on June 8, 2021
According to Taiwan News, a 58-year-old dock worker “suffered a laceration on his right arm”.
A Taiwanese port witnessed chaotic scenes on Thursday after a large cargo ship hit a tall overhead crane and then smashing into a pile of shipping containers. The video of the incident has gone viral on social media.
The 86,000-ton container ship, OOCL Durban, which belonged to Orient Overseas (International) Ltd., a Hong Kong shipping company, was preparing to dock at a port in Kaohsiung. The empty container ship collided with a stationary vessel at the site along with a huge gantry crane at the same wharf.
As a result, the massive crane first tilted slowly and came crashing down, hitting a neighboring crane, which then collapsed into a stack of shipping containers. Videos captured by many onlookers at the busy port showed people running for covers away from the crane as it fell.
According to Taiwan News, a 58-year-old dock worker “suffered a laceration on his right arm”. He was rushed to the hospital for examination and treatment and the report added that he was conscious. The report added that two engineers — identified as Lin and Yang — were also trapped inside the crane.
The duo, however, was rescued using a 60-meter mast-type jib crane, reported UDN. The two staff managed to escaped unharmed.
The state-run Taiwan International Ports Corp. Ltd in a statement said that the accident site has been sealed off also “loading/offloading operations have been suspended at Wharf No. 70”, where the stationary vessel was berthed.
“The original construction cost of the two affected gantry cranes is approximately NT$600 million (total). The estimated value of the loss to the affected containers remains to be investigated,” the statement added.
