Video: Japanese Container Feeder Capsizes at the Pier

A container feeder capsized at the pier at a terminal in Shunan City, Japan on Sunday afternoon during cargo operations. All crewmembers managed to escape without serious injury. 

The small boxship Maya was loading cargo at the Tokuyama Shimomatsu Port when she suffered a cargo accident, lost stability and capsized. Three crewmembers went into the water; one, a mariner in his 70s, ingested seawater and was taken to the hospital for evaluation, according to local media.

The vessel's cargo went over the side, and while the majority remained next to the pier, a few containers went adrift in the harbor. The Tokuyama station of the Japan Coast Guard has advised shipping to be aware and alert for floating cargo. 

A small quantity of heavy fuel oil leaked from the vessel, and a light sheen is visible in aerial video obtained by local media, but no major spill has been reported. An investigation into the cause of the casualty is under way. 

Maya (not to be confused with the far larger MSC Maya) is a 200-TEU container feeder flagged in Japan. She operates under the management of Imoto Lines, the leading Japanese coastwise container carrier. 

Container feeder capsizings periodically occur during cargo operations at the pier. Recent examples include the loss of the SL Star at Bandar Abbas in 2019 and the capsizing of the Nazmiye Ana at Castellon in 2021.