A video showing a crane colliding with a fuel tanker at Khor al-Zubair Port, Iraq, has surfaced online.
The crane collided with the side of a COSCO Shipping fuel tanker anchored at the port, piercing its hull and causing a ballast water leak.
Read Port Technology's latest technical paper on Ship Berthing Incidents, from Laurence Jones of TT Club
A statement from the General Company of Iraqi Ports, the operator of Khor al-Zubair port, confirmed the collision – stating that high winds reaching 90 knots caused the crane to lose control and crash into the anchored ship.
The company also states that the damage caused to the tanker was minimal and that the vessel safely left the port after fully unloading its cargo.
