Rumor here is that this was more of an allision than a collapse. They say the box ship lost control of her bowthruster, and swung her aft end into that crane, wherefore the boom fell.
6 posts were split to a new topic: Whatās the difference between an āallisionā and a ācollisionā?
Striking a crane with the flare of the bow is more common from what Iāve seen. If the crane was in fact hit by the ship my guess is that it was from the height of the containers as the ship heeled over from too strong a landing.
Thereās footage of the accident happening, but I wasnāt able to convince the guy who showed it to me that it aught to be submitted to a news agency; he felt someoneās job might be at stake if it got out.
second best: hereās the footage from the news helicopter:
You can see in the first few seconds where the base of the crane got hit and hard enough for the whole thing to be pushed off its tracks.
I didnāt see any damage where the top row of containers would have made contact but heavy damage at the base of the crane.
Evergreen ship smashed a crane in Vancouver:
The word allision does not appear in this article.
The crane has now been removed and the ship free to sail:
You can see for yourself what it is, I found a site hosting the security camera footage of the accident.
The ship may be free, but theyāre still down a crane, which effects everyone who uses that terminal and the downstream consumers.
Iām betting on the shape of the hull aft (wine-glass) allowing the starboard-quarter to hit the crane due to the stern leading the bow on the approach.
How common is that?
Looks like youāre right, looks like it hit down low and aft. Iāve had a couple āa little too closeā and it was the bow flare each time.
This is my situation aft:
Damage range is more limited compared to forward in my case.
and whom can we blame here? you guessed itā¦FUCKING ASSHOLE PILOTSā¦thatās who!
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In my experience even with a good pilot an occasional landing is a bit harder than optimal. This usually results in a few dings and dents, sometime some bent frames. But the game has changed with these bigger ships with more flare ect, now a crane goes down if the landing isnāt perfect seems like.
In any case getting an inept pilot in the U.S. or Canada is rare in my experience. The vast majority of them are very good.
Wouldnāt it be wise to park the cranes outside of the possible attack zones, at least if it is feasible?
Once the ship is alongside the dock, there should be enough time to move the cranes to their right place.
of course they areā¦just ask one
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Thatās sometimes done now to a degree. Iāve had pilots ask for cranes that are being moved that they be parked forward of bow position. Sometimes the L/S will ask where the pilot wants them. I donāt know how much itās done in general.
Having the stern hit like this is something new to me. All it takes is one missed command to the tug and a little bad luck.
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Lately we have seen an entire container crane falling on gas tanks with the consequent fire.
These videos from Vancouver show a better crane construction, intended or not.
When a ship pushes against the crane, the entire weight of the crane comes down on the inland wheel block. The horizontal forces cannot derail these wheels; they are forced into the rail by the craneās weight. Hence, the crane stumbles over its own wheels.
The Vancouver videos show another sequence:
The inland and the waterside wheels did not derail too, as expected. However, the liaisons between wheel blocs and lower crane pillars on booth sides gave way. Finally, the crane stands vertically beside its own wheels!
The cantilever falling on the ship was possibly due to excessive dynamic forces on top of the crane, during the vertical and horizontal movements.
This was the first hit on google, itās from the port of LA/LB
To minimize the risk of a vessel allision with a terminal gantry crane, the LALB Harbor Safety Committee recommends that all terminal operators with gantry cranes adopt the following Best Practices:
- Prior to a vesselās arrival or departure from a berth, gantry cranes should be positioned
close together, near the amidships section of the vessel (avoiding the vesselās bow and
stern flair).- Idle gantry crane booms should be topped up over empty berths. If a boom cannot be
topped up, the appropriate pilot station should be notified.- Gantry cranes should not be moved while a vessel is berthing. Moving a crane disorients
and distracts the docking pilot.- No personnel should be allowed aloft on a gantry crane during berthing or unberthing
operations.
Anytime a ship is maneuvered near a berth with gantry cranes, a risk of allision exists. If a ship contacts a dock at any attitude other than flat and parallel, portions of the vessel can extend over the dock. Should a gantry crane happen to be in the overshadow area, an allision resulting in significant loss is likely. The best way to manage and minimize this risk is to leave gantry cranes in identified āsafe areasā on the craneways. These safe areas will vary from terminal to terminal, but will most often be the craneway areas adjacent to the shipās flatbody between the spring line bollards.
Gantry cranes boomed down over empty berths risk contact with berthing or passing ships.
Modern container vessels are generally too tall to pass safely underneath a lowered gantry boom.
Also, new generation gantry booms extend more than 200 feet beyond the dock face, which in many cases is well into the federal navigation channel. Idle gantry crane booms should be
topped up over empty berths. If operations require a boom down over an empty berth, the
appropriate pilot station should be notified of the likely duration and subsequent notification
should be made when the boom is raised.
FWIW, Puget Sound Pilots guidelines also specifically recommend to terminal operators that they position gantry cranes amidships (avoiding the flare of the hull) and donāt allow anybody aloft while ships are berthing and unberthing.
VESSEL & TERMINAL GANTRY CRANE SAFETY
It is recommended that all terminal operators with gantry cranes adopt the following Best Practices:
1.When vessels are berthing or unberthing at the terminal:
a.Prior to a vesselās arrival or departure from a berth, gantry cranes at the berthshould be boomedup and positioned close together near the midships section of the vessel (avoiding the vesselās bow and stern flair).
b.Gantry cranes should not be moved when a vessel is berthing or unberthing.
c.It is recommended no person be allowed aloft on a gantry crane during berthing or unberthing operations.