Video: Tugs Race to Secure Containership After Mooring Lines Break
Images are appearing online showing the moments after a containership broke loose in Brazil’s second-largest port and was moving in the shipping channel. The emergency response team and tugs quickly responded to secure the ship with no damage in the Port of Itajal, south of São Paulo, Brazil.
The containership Vincente Pinzon (57,881 dwt) was moored in the port on August 27 when it snapped its mooring lines first at the bow. The vessel began to swing into the busy Itajaí-Açu river before breaking its stern lines and starting to move down the channel. Port officials blamed the strong current in the river, which took control of the vessel.
Built in 2014, the ship, which previously operated for Hamburg Sud, has a capacity of 4,848 TEU. It operates a coastal service for the shipping company Alianca Navegacao connecting Brazil’s ports.
Port officials said the breakaway happened around 0650, and their emergency team quickly responded to the incident. Tugs can be seen scrambling to secure the 254-meter (833-foot) ship and then turning it 180 degrees and heading it back up the river, all without injuries or serious damage. The pilots were able to gain control of the vessel with the assistance of the tugs.
Media reports highlight it was the second time in a matter of months that a similar situation occurred. In December 2024, another containership also broke free. Concern was raised because the ship came very close to the ferry terminal before it was able to be brought under control.
The Port of Itajal is Brazil’s main southern facility serving the key industrial region in the south of the country. The port is slated for modernization and investments to increase efficiency as part of the country’s program to auction concessions in the first quarter of 2026. The initiative includes infrastructure work to allow the berthing of vessels up to 400 meters (1,312 feet) in length at Itajal, dredging the channel to increase the draft to 16 meters (52.5 feet).