COSCO container ship damages Keelung berth after collision

KEELUNG CITY : Taiwan’s Keelung port sustained damage after one of COSCO Shipping Lines’ container ships came into contact while attempting to berth.

The 2000-built, 1,702 TEU Fei Yun He had just arrived from the port of Lianyungang in China, shortly before 8 am local time on 16 March.

Local media reported that possibly due to miscommunication between the pilot/crew and the port authority, Fei Yun He knocked into Keelung’s West Pier 20.

The pilot can be heard on television footage saying, “Why is the ship going faster and faster? Are you pulling the wrong controls?”

The tug cable on the pier was damaged and the accident caused the cement on the wharf to come off, exposing cable piles. The accident also created a gaping hole in the stern of Fei Yun He, which is deployed on the North China-Taiwan service operated by COSCO and its subsidiary OOCL.

Officials from Maritime Port Bureau’s northern division and Taiwan Transportation Safety Board inspected the scene shortly after the accident to compile data for investigation.

Fei Yun He underwent emergency repairs and was allowed to leave Keelung on 20 March, arriving in Kaohsiung on 21st March.

COSCO has pledged to pay compensation for the damage resulting from the accident.