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Accidents

SAFMARINE NOKWANDA / TIANJIN (2019)

SAFMARINE NOKWANDA struck the moored container ship TIANJIN while berthing at Busan Container Terminal, causing serious structural and cargo damage.

Classification

  • Incident Type: Allision
  • Severity: High
  • Evidence: FleetMon report supported by reviewed vessel-particulars records

Vessel Details

FieldValue
Vessel NameSAFMARINE NOKWANDA
Vessel NamesSAFMARINE NOKWANDA / TIANJIN
Vessel TypeContainer
Flag State
IMO Number9294393
Gross Tonnage50624
Breadth (m)37
LOA (m)

Incident Details

FieldValue
Date2019-03-02
LocationBusan Container Terminal
RegionSouth Korea
Coordinates35.1800, 129.0752
Fatalities
Injuries
Missing
Cargo Loss
Investigation Body
Direct DamageTIANJIN's stern sustained structural damage and crushed or collapsed containers; SAFMARINE NOKWANDA's bow was damaged, including a breach.
Economic Damage

Key facts

  • At about 08:00 local time on 2 March 2019, SAFMARINE NOKWANDA struck TIANJIN while berthing at Busan Container Terminal.
  • The source describes TIANJIN as moored and SAFMARINE NOKWANDA as technically under way at the time of contact.
  • TIANJIN's stern sustained structural damage, and a number of containers were crushed or collapsed.
  • SAFMARINE NOKWANDA also suffered bow damage, including a breach.
  • The available report does not state whether anyone was injured, whether pollution occurred, or how either vessel was subsequently repaired or moved.

Narrative

At about 08:00 local time on 2 March 2019, the Panamax container ship SAFMARINE NOKWANDA struck the stern of the Neopanamax container ship TIANJIN while berthing at Busan Container Terminal. The FleetMon report describes TIANJIN as moored and SAFMARINE NOKWANDA as technically under way. Because a moving vessel struck a stationary vessel, the event is classified here as an allision.

The impact caused serious cargo damage on TIANJIN, including crushed and collapsed containers, and structural damage to its stern. SAFMARINE NOKWANDA's bow was also damaged and suffered a breach. The available report does not identify an investigation body or provide formal causal findings. It does not state whether any person was injured, whether pollution occurred, or how the vessels were handled after the contact. The verified account therefore supports the berthing sequence and reported damage but not a more detailed reconstruction of the manoeuvre or its causes.

Sequence of events

Date/timeEvent
2019-03-02 about 08:00 localSAFMARINE NOKWANDA, while berthing at Busan Container Terminal, struck the stern of moored TIANJIN.

Investigation

The available source is a FleetMon maritime-news report and does not identify a formal investigation body or report. No official causal finding was identified in the reviewed material. The cause of the allision, casualty outcome, pollution status, and subsequent vessel repairs remain unresolved.

References

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