Video: Russian Cargo Ship Tilts Spilling Timber Cargo Load
Russian officials are investigating an incident last week in which a cargo of logs being loaded became unstable. It caused the vessel to tilt to starboard and dump a portion of its cargo into the harbor. No one was injured during the incident.
The vessel is the Stepan Geits, built in 1983 in Japan and operating since 1996 under the Russian flag. It is part of the Lesprom Network which operates a wood products marketplace. The vessel, which is 4,800 dwt and 297 feet (90.5 meters) in length, was docked in the Russian east coast port of Nakhodka, near Vladivostok.
A load of logs was being put aboard when on the afternoon of January 16, the ship suddenly began to tilt to starboard. The logs began rolling off the ship with the Nakhodka Transport office reporting approximately 1,000 cubic meters of the cargo fell into the harbor. The vessel regained stability and returned to an even keel but suffered damage.
In the video of the incident, crewmembers can be seen jumping to safety onto the pier as the vessel begins to list. A crane is operated near the bow loading the cargo.
Records show that the cargo ship was cited for deficiencies during a Port State Inspection in Dalian, China in November for issues including the structural conditions of ballast, fuel, and other tanks. The Transport Prosecutor’s Office said it was establishing the circumstances of the loss of the deck cargo. Reports indicated the cargo may not have been properly secured.
The timber product was removed from the water the Transport Office reported.