Classification
- Incident Type: Allision
- Severity: Medium
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Xin Fei Zhou |
| Vessel Type | Container |
| IMO Number | 9337937 |
| Gross Tonnage | 90757 |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2016-07-21 |
| Location | Agua Clara locks, Panama Canal |
| Region | Other |
| Fatalities | |
| Injuries | |
| Missing | |
| Investigation Body | Panama Canal Authority (ACP) |
| Outcome | The vessel completed its transit and anchored for assessment; canal operations continued. |
| Physical damage | Reported opening or gash in the vessel's hull and minor lock-wall damage; ACP said the vessel damage was not severe. |
| Estimated Economic Damage |
Key facts
- Xin Fei Zhou contacted an Agua Clara chamber wall at about 14:30 on 21 July 2016 while approaching the Atlantic-side locks. [1][2][3]
- The reviewed accounts describe an opening or gash in the hull and minor wall damage; ACP said the vessel did not suffer severe damage. [1][2][3]
- ACP said the vessel completed its transit and then anchored while canal experts prepared an occurrence report. Canal operations were not interrupted. [2][3]
- A later report attributed bad weather to ACP, but no final investigation report was located. [4]
Narrative
At about 14:30 on 21 July 2016, Xin Fei Zhou contacted a chamber wall while approaching the Agua Clara locks on the Atlantic side of the expanded Panama Canal. The Maritime Executive described the vessel as an 8,500 TEU container ship operated by China COSCO Shipping. Panama news reports citing the Panama Canal Authority place the occurrence during the approach to the locks. [1][2][3]
The reports describe an opening or gash in the vessel's hull and minor damage to the lock wall. ACP said that the vessel did not suffer severe damage, completed its transit, and anchored while canal experts prepared a report. The event did not interrupt canal operations. The reported hull opening supports Medium severity; the available evidence does not document a High-severity outcome. [1][2][3]
ACP initially said it was investigating under canal navigation rules. A later Maritime Executive report said ACP cited bad weather as the cause, but no direct final report was found. The reviewed sources do not establish casualty counts, repair details, or costs. They also do not establish that lock dimensions caused the contact. [2][3][4]
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2016-07-21 about 14:30 | Xin Fei Zhou contacted the chamber wall while approaching the Agua Clara locks. [2][3] |
| 2016-07-21 | The vessel completed the transit and anchored while canal experts prepared an occurrence report. [2] |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Adverse weather | Reported | A later Maritime Executive article said ACP cited bad weather, but no final ACP report was located. [4] |
Investigation
ACP told Panama media that the occurrence was under investigation and that canal experts were preparing a report after the vessel anchored. A final report was not located. The later weather attribution remains a reported ACP position rather than an independently checked final finding. [2][3][4]
References
- [1] COSCO First Transit of Panama Canal, Now First Accident, The Maritime Executive, 23 July 2016
- [2] ACP investiga ‘incidente' en nuevo canal, La Estrella de Panamá, 23 July 2016
- [3] Buque chino se accidenta en esclusas de Agua Clara, Panamá América, 22 July 2016
- [4] Panama Canal Refutes Accident Claims, The Maritime Executive, 2 August 2016