Crane Accident in Spain as Valencia Reports Strong Growth in Volumes
An undocking accident at Spain’s Valencia port caused one of the terminal’s cranes to collapse injuring one port worker and briefly disrupting port operations. The port later sent it best wishes for a quick recovery to the crane operator while also saying normal operations had resumed at the port.
???? Des de l'APV, una forta abraçada i els nostres millors desitjos de ràpida recuperació a Roberto Máñez Blanco. La seua professionalitat va evitar ahir danys incalculables. El nostre aplaudiment i reconeixemen!@SoyCoordinadora @mundoestiba @Valenciapilots @DGobiernoCV pic.twitter.com/uFRZfOKyrn
— Valenciaport (@AutPortValencia) September 14, 2020
While the details of the accident are unclear, apparently the MSC containership MSC Mia was undocking when it somehow caught part of the crane. The crane operator was able to sound an alarm warning people before the crane tumbled. That worker was being credited by the port in a Tweet for his actions but was also reported to have been injured and taken to a local hospital.
????Accidente en MSC Terminals, Valencia????
— USTP Port De Barcelona (@USTP_PortDeBcn) September 13, 2020
Un barco ha colisionado y tumbado la grúa GP08; dejando herido al manipulador, que ha sido trasladado al Hospital de la Fe, con pronóstico reservado.
????Toda nuestro apoyo y fuerza al manipulador accidentado y a su familia.????? pic.twitter.com/8wWkTxM3Ra
News of the accident came as the port was celebrating its strong growth in operations. In August, Valencia reported that it had become the first Spanish port to handle more than 500,000 TEUs in a single month. Traffic increased more than seven percent at the port with better than a two percent increase in the tons of goods moving through Valencia. The port authority highlighted the results as a demonstration of their growth and recovery from the pandemic. They said it reaffirms the recovery trend observed in June and July.
Valencia highlighted a strong growth in export volumes while imports were down slightly in the month. They also reported a strong growth in the number of vessel calls, reaching 752 his year versus 666 in August 2019. This growth was achieved while the cruise industry is paused and ferry volumes remain low due to travel restrictions from the pandemic. Also ro-ro traffic is off by a third for the full year but Valencia noted that there were seeing a moderation in the declines during August.
Port officials said they are optimistic that the strong results in August are a sign of the beginning of an economic recovery in the world’s main economies.