Photos: Heavy Lift Ship Loses Two STS Cranes Over the Side Off Spain
Last week, a Chinese heavy lift ship ran into rough weather off the coast of Galicia and lost two ship-to-shore gantry cranes over the side. It is the second instance of an STS crane cargo loss at sea since October.
The deck cargo vessel Shang De Wu Yi Shan departed Bremen early last week, bound for Thailand with two gantry cranes towering above the main deck level. As the vessel transited past A Coruna, Galicia, it encountered rough weather, and the steel cranes collapsed under the forces acting on the ship.
Fondeado en Ares el buque Shang De Wu Yi Shan tras perder en Golfo de Vizcaya las grúas que transportaba de Alemania a Thailandia. Tendrá que atracar en el Puerto para retirar los restos de la cubierta y reparar el barco para que pueda seguir navegando. [Foto del barco: @EloyTP] pic.twitter.com/aB8KJut3on
— Voces de A Coruña (@vocescoruna) December 8, 2024
Un #buque chino para cargas especiales se encuentra de arribada forzosa en la ría de Ares, con los RESTOS DE DOS GRÚAS QUE PERDIÓ POR EL CAMINO. Se trata del buque “Shang De Wu Yi Shan” (IMO 9994955), pidió auxilio a Salvamento Marítimo.https://t.co/dqLSxQ5NwP pic.twitter.com/trzt6v4gcK
— Ana Villar (@AnaVill96855504) December 7, 2024
The crew called for help from Spanish authorities, and the Salvamento Maritimo responded to the scene with a tug and a motor lifeboat. The Shang De Wu Yi Shan's hull was seriously damaged from impact with the crane cargo, but it was still able to navigate under its own power. The crew transited to a sheltered bay near the village of Ares, Galicia to inspect the damage and wait for calmer weather; as of Monday evening, the vessel remained in the same position.
A heavy weather alert issued by Spain's state meteorological agency (AEMET) was in effect for northern Spain at the time of the casualty.
It is the second major casualty involving a crane-carrying heavy lift ship in two months. In late October, the Chinese vessel Yu Zhou Qi Hang departed Taiwan with three large STS cranes and a crew of 17. The ship attempted to cross the Taiwan Strait and reach China ahead of an approaching typhoon. Shortly after leaving the port, the vessel encountered high winds and heavy seas. It drifted towards shore, and the crew dropped both anchors, then abandoned ship. The vessel eventually grounded on a rocky shoreline.
