Classification
- Incident Type: Grounded
- Severity: Medium
- Region: South China Sea
The vessel made bottom contact near the shoreline and was later refloated and moved to anchorage. Contemporary reports attributed the event to a combination of reported engine trouble and strong monsoon winds.
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | HANSA Constitution |
| Vessel Type | Container |
| Flag State | Germany [DE] |
| IMO Number | 9124524 |
| MMSI | 211778000 |
| Call Sign | DHHZ |
| Gross Tonnage | 31730 |
| LOA (m) | 192.50 |
| Breadth (m) | 32.25 |
| Bollard Pull (t) | |
| Power (kW) | |
| Owner/Operator | Hansa Treuhand Gruppe |
| TEU | |
| Year Built | 1997 |
| Crew Size |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2014-04-06 |
| Location | East Lamma Channel, near Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong |
| Coordinates | 22.2500, 114.1000 |
| Region | South China Sea |
| Fatalities | |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | |
| Cargo Loss | |
| Direct Damage | |
| Economic Damage | |
| Insured Loss | |
| Salvage/Cleanup Cost |
Key facts
- The 192.5-metre German-registered container ship ran aground near the University of Hong Kong sports ground in Pok Fu Lam after veering off course in the East Lamma Channel.
- The Fire Services Department and the vessel's owner were reported to have associated the event with engine trouble or loss of power and strong monsoon winds.
- The captain dropped an anchor as the vessel approached the shore; fireboats and diving support vessels attended, and tugs later refloated the ship.
- Reports said no one was hurt and no pollution was reported, but the extent of vessel damage was not publicly established in the sources reviewed.
Narrative
HANSA Constitution was a German-registered container ship of about 192.5 metres and 31,730 gross tonnes. On 6 April 2014, while proceeding through Hong Kong's East Lamma Channel toward Shenzhen, the vessel veered toward the west side of Hong Kong Island and ran aground close to the University of Hong Kong sports ground in Pok Fu Lam. Contemporary reporting placed the event in the afternoon and described the bow as coming close to the seawall and a public path.
The available accounts attributed the loss of control to reported engine or power failure, with strong monsoon winds then pushing the vessel toward shore. The exact causal sequence was not resolved by a public final investigation report identified in this review. The captain dropped an anchor to reduce the vessel's momentum. Hong Kong emergency services deployed fireboats and diving support vessels, and tugs subsequently pulled the vessel free and moved it to an anchorage for inspection.
Reports said no one was hurt and no pollution was reported. They did not establish a monetary damage estimate, and the public reports reviewed did not give a confirmed structural-damage assessment. The vessel identity and principal particulars are supported by web vessel records and a Hong Kong government vessel-registration listing, while the incident description remains based primarily on contemporaneous media accounts.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2014-04-06 afternoon | HANSA Constitution was reported to have experienced engine or power trouble while in the East Lamma Channel. |
| 2014-04-06 afternoon | Strong monsoon winds pushed the vessel toward shore near the University of Hong Kong sports ground at Pok Fu Lam. |
| 2014-04-06 afternoon | The captain dropped an anchor, but the vessel ran aground close to the seawall and public path. |
| 2014-04-06 | Hong Kong fireboats and diving support vessels attended the scene. |
| 2014-04-06 | Tugs refloated the vessel and moved it to anchorage for inspection. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Reported loss of propulsion | Reported | Contemporary accounts attributed the vessel's loss of control to engine failure or loss of power; no public final finding was identified. |
| Strong monsoon winds | Reported | Fire Services and media accounts described strong winds pushing the vessel shoreward after the reported power problem. |
Investigation
No public final accident-investigation report or causal finding for this grounding was identified in the web sources reviewed. Contemporary reports attributed the event to reported mechanical or power trouble combined with strong winds, and described the Marine Department and emergency services as responding to the casualty. The sources reviewed do not establish a final damage assessment or monetary loss.
References
- On the rocks: picture shows how close huge cargo ship came to collision at Pok Fu Lam
- Container Ship Charges Sport Field
- That Time a Huge Containership Ran Straight Into a Hong Kong Football Field
- HANSA CONSTITUTION vessel particulars
- HANSA CONSTITUTION identity and MMSI record
- Hong Kong EPD list of registered vessels