Bulk Carrier Takes Out Coal Terminal Berth in Collision
Westshore Terminals’ Berth 1 (Canada) remains closed following a Friday incident. Cape Apricot, a massive bulk carrier, slammed into a frame supporting a conveyor system that moved coal from the terminal to the berth.
The collision destroyed a large portion of the conveyor system, subsequently spilling about 30 tons of coal into the harbor. It also destroyed a roadway connecting the terminal and the berth.
A representative from the Westshore Terminals Investment Corp. stated that a pilot and a captain should have been at the helm as the ship came into port. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has launched an investigation into the incident.
The ship’s damage was virtually insignificant. Berth 2, the terminal’s smaller berth remains operational, although power to the berth was temporarily knocked out in the collision.
One of Westshore’s main customers, Teck Resources, released the following statement:
Teck Resources Limited announced that it is taking steps in response to impacts to coal shipping capacity at Westshore Terminals Limited following an incident that resulted in Berth 1 being out of commission for an unknown amount of time. Teck will continue to ship through Berth 2 at Westshore and will be shifting shipping capacity to Neptune Terminals and exploring options for moving additional tonnage to Pacific Coast Terminals and Ridley Terminals. Our preliminary assessment is that we will meet or exceed our sales guidance of 6.2 million tons for the fourth quarter and, as there is inventory space available at Westshore, we do not expect this incident to have a material impact on coal production for the fourth quarter.
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Photo Credit: http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1146481