Video: New STS Crane Topples Old STS Crane at Keelung

Container crane topples — Image via Taiwanese social media

On Monday, a heavy lift vessel was delivering a new container crane to the port of Keelung when it hit and destroyed an existing crane.

At about 1400 hours Monday afternoon, the heavy lift ship Yuzhou Qi Hang was arriving at Keelung with a brand new STS crane. As it pulled into its berth at the port's Pier 20, the top of the new gantry crane contacted and pressed up against the existing STS crane on the wharf. As the ship moved further towards the pier, the new crane pushed the old crane backwards until it was resting on one set of rail wheels, then toppled it over. Unlike most STS crane allisions, the old crane's structure did not buckle before it hit the ground: it was tipped over intact.

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The incident occurred when the barge Yuzhou Qi Hang, carrying a new crane for China Container Terminal Corporation, accidentally hit an existing crane, knocking it over.

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Luckily, no one was injured by the falling crane, and physical damage to other port infrastructure was limited. An estimated four empty containers and one full container were hit, and operations were temporarily suspended in the terminal area.

The estimated cost of replacement for the lost crane is over $40 million, according to Taiwanese outlet ET Today. The port operator and the vessel operator are in talks with their insurers about responsibility for the damage.

Taiwan's transport regulators attended the scene of the crash, and the circumstances of the casualty are under investigation.

Container crane allisions are a rare but recurring event for terminal operators. In March 2021, the container ship OOCL Durban hit an STS crane and a moored vessel as it approached its berth, collapsing the crane and injuring one port employee. The falling crane severely damaged a second, nearby crane as it fell, according to operator Taiwan International Ports.