Freighter Destroys Container Crane at Port of Abidjan

On Thursday, the geared bulker Da Zhi allided with a container gantry crane at the port of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, causing it to collapse. According to maritime consultants Blueoceana, the crane struck containers and equipment on the pier when it fell, causing extensive damage, but no one was injured or killed. The Chinese-flagged Da Zhi has been held in port pending the outcome of an investigation, and as of Monday her AIS signal showed her moored in port.  

The accident followed just a few weeks after a similar incident at the port of Jebel Ali, UAE. On May 8, the container ship CMA CGM Centaurus allided bow-first with the pier at DP World's Jebel Ali Terminal 1, striking an STS gantry and causing its collapse. A second crane was damaged but did not fall. 

10 people were injured in the accident, with most requiring only minor treatment on site. DP World confirmed in a statement that no one was killed. 

An anonymous pilot who has worked at Jebel Ali told Cruise Arabia & Africa on Monday that the crash may have been caused by human error, compounded by the tight harbor dimensions and the size of the CMA CGM Centaurus. The source suggested that the pilot on the Centaurus may have changed his maneuvering plans in order to get out of the way of an outbound vessel, but had his tugs improperly positioned for the new evolution. It was not possible to verify this account independently.