Massive 86,000 Tonne Ship Hits Crane In Taiwanese Port Sending It Crashing Down

The is the moment a large cargo ship hit a tall overhead crane in a Taiwanese port, sending it smashing into another crane and then into a pile of shipping containers:

According to reports, a 58-year-old dock worker at the port was sent to hospital for a cut on his right arm, but he is conscious and has been sent for examination and treatment.

The 86,000-ton vessel, which belongs to Orient Overseas (International), a Hong Kong shipping company, was preparing to dock at a port in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan when it hit the crane, the port management company said.

The site of the accident has been sealed off, the state-run Taiwan International Ports Corp said in a statement.

The crane fell slowly at first before its descent sped up, hitting a neighbouring crane and then a stack of shipping containers which tumbled to the ground.

Workers ran quickly from the area in videos widely circulated on social media. It's believed two engineers were trapped inside the crane after the accident.

They have been identified as Mr Lin, 33, and Mr Yang, 31, and they were rescued with another crane that picked them from the wreckage.

Taiwan News reported that onlookers said the men were traumatized by the accident but did not appear to be seriously injured.

It's not clear just yet why the ship hit the crane when it veered off course.

Back in December, a cargo vessel lost over 1,800 shipping containers in after getting caught up in a spot of bad weather at sea.

The ONE (Ocean Network Express) Apus cargo vessel dropped off exactly 1,816 into the briny depths of the sea before arriving into the port of Kobe in Japan's Kensai region.

According to local reports, the ship - which sails under a Japanese flag - shed the precious cargo into the sea after encountering heavy weather through the Pacific Ocean.

Shocking images from after the disaster show the cargo ship in a state of almost total disarray, with cargo containers leaning over to the side and scattered across the deck.

Of the total 1,816 containers that were lost into the ocean, around 64 of them were thought to contain what is known as 'dangerous cargo'.

That means that they could have contained things like fireworks, batteries or liquid ethanol. No one knows where this is.

Featured Image Credit: Taiwan International Ports Corporation

Topics: News

Rebecca Shepherd

I'm Becky - a journalist at LADbible. I graduated with a First Class BA in Journalism before going on to cover criminal court cases, medical tribunals and breaking news for the national media - which inevitably and eventually became as glum as it sounds. Can often be found rocking a bag for life - which I made a 'thing' way before Rihanna. You can contact me at [email protected]

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