Yang Ming vessel knocks over three cranes after hitting Turkish wharf

19.03.2024

A ship operated by Yang Ming Marine Transport slammed into a wharf in Turkey’s Evyapport on 16 March, while attempting to dock.

The 2015-built 14,000 TEU ship, YM Witness, chartered from Seaspan Corporation, reportedly knocked down three container cranes in the accident.

YM Witness, assigned to Yang Ming’s MD3 Asia-Mediterranean service, had arrived from another Turkish port, Ambarli, had a pilot on board and was trying to berth around 3.45pm local time when the accident happened.

Video footage taken by port staff shows that after the paddle wheel of the YM Witness hit the wharf, a crane swayed to the right, and collapsed after hitting another crane. As the first crane fell to the ground, it hit a second crane.

Reportedly, a worker operating one of the cranes was injured in the accident. Evyapport officials said that several containers on YM Witness also fell into the waters.

The damages are estimated to be in the region of US$50 million.

Information from VesselsValue shows that since its delivery, YM Witness has been on a 10-year charter to Yang Ming.

As of today (19 March), YM Witness remains anchored in Turkey’s Yarimca port pending investigations and repairs.

In a customer advisory issued on 18 March, Yang Ming confirmed the accident occurred and said that the rescheduling of ships and cargo transfers would be made in due course.

The Taiwanese shipping line stated, “Whereas navigational behaviour and seamanship are under the supervision and management of the ship owner, administrative enquiries and a full investigation into this incident are currently conducted in conjunction between the ship owner and the relevant maritime authorities. According to the ship owner, there are no casualties following the incident and no marine pollution has materialized for the time being.”