Ship Takes Refuge in Spain After Container Stacks Collapse in Storm

January 20 ------ A smaller cargo ship transporting containers along the coast between Portugal and Spain was forced to take refuge after it experienced a stack collapse last week. The ship Maria Francisca arrived at the Port of Vigo with two rows of boxes toppled over and several crushed boxes hanging over the side of the vessel.

The 30,000-dwt vessel had departed Lisbon, Portugal, on January 14 and overnight encountered the heavy winter weather that has been disrupting operations across parts of Europe. The ship reportedly encountered a heavy swell and was listing. It is being suggested that it went into a very dangerous situation known as a parametric roll. Multiple organizations have been studying this phenomenon and how to predict it after it was blamed for container losses on larger vessels sailing in the Pacific. The World Shipping Council highlights that the efforts to better understand and manage parametric rolling have helped to reduce the number of containers lost overboard each year.

The Maria Francisca, which was heading toward Vigo and Leixões, was south of Aveiro, Portugal, when it encountered the severe storm. It reported to the authorities that containers holding granite, cocoa, and palm oil shifted. An unspecified number went overboard, while others collapsed in what appears to be two midship stacks. The ship has a capacity of 1,829 containers, including 150 reefers, with a maximum of 786 deck loaded.

The Port Authority for the Port of Vigo reports it coordinated the arrival of the ship at 2130 on Thursday, January 15. Two tugs were sent to escort the ship to the entrance of the estuary, with a pilot aboard to aid in the navigation into the port. A helicopter and the Coast Guard vessel Valentin Paz de Andrade were also involved in the operation to ensure safety during the delicate docking operation. The port also used anti-pollution barriers as a precaution.

The ship was successfully docked without incident. No crewmembers were injured, and there was no pollution reported in the port during the docking. Work is underway to analyze the situation for the collapsed containers and to design an operation for the relocation and removal of the toppled and damaged containers. A technical inspection is also planned for the ship, as well as an inspection by the insurance companies.

The Maria Francisca, which is managed by Germany’s Held Shipping, remains at the berth in Vigo. The ship, which was built in 2004 and is 192 meters (630 feet) in length, is registered in Portugal.

Source: maritime-executive.com