Classification
- Incident Type: Collision
- Severity: Medium
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Colombo Express |
| Vessel Names | Colombo Express / Maersk Tanjong |
| Vessel Type | Container |
| Flag State | Germany [DE] |
| IMO Number | 9295244 |
| Gross Tonnage | |
| LOA (m) | 335 |
| TEU | 8,749 |
| Year Built | 2005 |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2014-09-29 |
| Location | North end of the Suez Canal, near the Suez Canal Container Terminal, Port Said |
| Coordinates | |
| Region | Egypt |
| Fatalities | |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | |
| Cargo Loss | 3 containers reported lost; originating vessel disputed |
| Direct Damage | |
| Economic Damage |
Key facts
- The ships collided on 29 September 2014 near the northern entrance of the Suez Canal.
- Maersk Tanjong was clearing the container terminal to join a convoy while Colombo Express was proceeding through the area.
- Colombo Express sustained a reported 20 m dent to its port bow.
- Three containers were reported lost, but accounts disagree about their originating vessel.
- Hapag-Lloyd reported no injuries or pollution; canal traffic was disrupted.
Narrative
On 29 September 2014, Maersk Tanjong was leaving the Suez Canal Container Terminal to join the second convoy while Colombo Express was proceeding through the same area. The vessels collided, damaging Colombo Express's port bow. Inchcape Shipping Services reported a dent approximately 20 m long and severe disruption to the second southbound convoy, with delays expected for northbound traffic.
Reuters reported that both ships remained in the canal lakes while Suez authorities recovered containers and investigated. Three containers were reported lost. Reuters attributed them to Colombo Express; a Maersk spokesperson quoted by gCaptain attributed them to Maersk Tanjong and said one had been recovered. The discrepancy remains unresolved.
Hapag-Lloyd reported no injuries or pollution. Later gCaptain commentary interpreted an AIS replay as showing an overtaking attempt but did not establish why control was lost. Suggestions involving steering failure or bank effects remain speculation rather than confirmed causes.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2014-09-29 | Maersk Tanjong cleared the terminal while Colombo Express was proceeding through the canal. |
| 2014-09-29 | The vessels collided; Colombo Express's port bow was damaged and containers were lost. |
| 2014-09-29 | Reuters reported both ships held in the canal lakes while authorities recovered containers and investigated. |
Investigation
Contemporary reporting described a Suez authorities' inquiry, but no published findings were identified. In a 1 October 2020 response published on FragDenStaat, Germany's BSU stated that it had not investigated the accident and held neither an official nor an internal report or derived safety recommendations. That response does not establish the outcome of any Egyptian inquiry.
References
- BSU response published on FragDenStaat, 1 October 2020
- Reuters: Collision delays Suez Canal traffic
- gCaptain: Video captures collision between containerships in the Suez
- gCaptain: The real story behind the collision video
- Hapag-Lloyd: Colombo Express particulars