Classification
- Incident Type: Allision
- Severity: Medium
- Tug involvement: Reported in the preliminary inquiry account.
- Tug mechanism: No tug casualty established.
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Tolten |
| Vessel Names | Tolten; Hamburg Bay |
| Vessel Type | Container |
| Flag State | Liberia [LR] |
| IMO Number | 9612870 |
| Gross Tonnage | 88586 |
| LOA (m) | |
| Breadth (m) | 46 |
| Owner/Operator | Hapag-Lloyd |
| Crew Size |
Contemporary insurer reporting identifies Hamburg Bay as a Liberian containership of 71,786 GT and approximately 6,350 TEU. Tolten's incident-era GT and flag are also recorded there; breadth and IMO are supported by exact-IMO vessel records. Tokio Marine, p.7, Trusteddocks
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2018-03-19 |
| Location | South Asia Pakistan Terminals, Port of Karachi, Pakistan |
| Coordinates | |
| Region | Other |
| Fatalities | |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | |
| Cargo Loss | Containers overboard; reported counts differ. |
| Direct Damage | |
| Economic Damage |
Key facts
- The reported contact occurred at 13:34 while Tolten approached berth 4 and Hamburg Bay occupied berth 3. Port account
- Hapag-Lloyd reported no injuries or environmental pollution. Operator statement
- Early reporting estimated 55–60 containers overboard; later terminal reporting gave 21. Initial account, Terminal account
- Karachi Port Trust and Pakistan Navy personnel assisted container recovery. Port statement
- A preliminary inquiry account appeared in April; the underlying report has not been established. Geo News
Narrative
Tolten approached South Asia Pakistan Terminals after arriving from Jebel Ali. At 13:34 on 19 March 2018 it contacted Hamburg Bay, a Liberian containership reported as 71,786 GT and approximately 6,350 TEU. Hamburg Bay was berthed at berth 3 while Tolten maneuvered toward berth 4. The contact displaced containers into the harbor. Hamburg Bay particulars, Tokio Marine p. 7 Hapag-Lloyd subsequently stated that nobody was injured and no environmental pollution occurred. Port account, Initial account, Operator statement
Early reports gave 55–60 containers overboard and described suspended port operations. Later reporting attributed to Hutchison Ports Pakistan gave 21 containers and normal terminal operations. Karachi Port Trust described a short pause followed by continued operations. The reports differ in count, timing and the scope of disruption; a complete port closure is not established. Initial account, Terminal account, Port statement
Recovery teams located submerged containers with assistance from Pakistan Navy divers. A 23 March insurer update reported recovery completed on 21 March and Hamburg Bay departing that afternoon. Tolten remained alongside for cargo operations. Structural damage and monetary losses were not quantified in that update. Port statement, Tokio Marine, p.7
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2018-03-19 | Tolten contacted berthed Hamburg Bay. Port account |
| 2018-03-19 | Tolten came alongside berth 4. Terminal account |
| 2018-03-20 | Cargo operations reportedly began after damage survey. Terminal account |
| 2018-03-21 | Recovery reportedly completed; Hamburg Bay departed at 15:30. Insurer update |
| 2018-04-16 | Geo News reported preliminary inquiry conclusions. Report |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Maneuvering response and tug assistance | Reported | Geo News attributed delayed captain response, inadequate reversing performance and insufficient tug capability to a preliminary report described by unnamed sources. The underlying findings are unverified. Account |
Investigation
Karachi Port Trust announced a board of senior officers to investigate. Hapag-Lloyd also said it would investigate. Geo News later described preliminary conclusions through unnamed sources; these do not establish a published final determination. Port announcement, Operator statement, Preliminary account
References
- Business Recorder: KPT orders probe, 21 March 2018
- Port Technology: Hapag-Lloyd statement, 19 March 2018
- JOC: terminal operations update, 21 March 2018
- Tokio Marine Topics, April 2018, p.7
- gCaptain initial report, 19 March 2018
- Geo News: preliminary inquiry account, 16 April 2018
- Trusteddocks vessel particulars