Video: Maersk Container Ship Goes Aground

Published Jan 10, 2017 9:44 PM by The Maritime Executive

[Brief] On Monday night, the 10,000 TEU container vessel Gustav Maersk went aground near Cannitello in the Strait of Messina, Italy. Logged AIS data show the Gustav making a course of 071 off Torre Faro at 0136 hours on Tuesday, parallel to the shoreline. Over the course of the next four minutes, she deviated from the sea lanes and turned about 65 degrees to starboard, towards the mainland. Her speed was logged as 11 knots shortly before impact.

The Italian Coast Guard said that the Messina VTS center observed a developing situation and called the Gustav to intervene, but was not able to avert the accident. The port authorities of Reggio Calabria and Messina dispatched patrol boat crews and shore teams, plus three harbor tugs and an anti-pollution vessel. Officials from the Strait of Messina pilots' association also attended the scene of the grounding.

On board the Gustav, the authorities checked compartments adjacent to the skin of the hull to make sure that there were no breaches. With all investigations performed to the Coast Guard's satisfacton, and no pollution detected in the area, tugs pulled the Gustav off the rocks early on Tuesday and escorted her to Gioa Tauro.

Investigations into the cause of the accident continue.