MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company is temporarily omitting calls at the Sines Container Terminal in Portugal, following an oil spill from a container ship on April 4, 2019.
The vessel in question MSC Sandra, which operates on the carrier’s Turkey-Canada Service, has been berthed at the facility since the incident, which occurred during bunkering operations.
According to a statement, the spill was quickly reported to the relevant authorities so that responders could arrive quickly to clean the hull and waters immediately around the ship, minimizing any environmental impact.
Dr. Bryan Comer discusses the risks of heavy fuel oil in a recent Port Technology technical paper
The vessel will remain berthed in Sines until clean-up operations have been completed, but MSC has initiated contingency arrangements to prevent as much disruption as possible.
For ships that were due to unload cargo at the terminal, alternative port calls and other loading and discharge operations have been organized.
The carrier said the damage was sealed during the night and that it would work with Gallagher Marine to coordinate all appropriate measures… #PTIDaily #Shipping #OilSpill #NewYork https://t.co/6StZWQFDce
— Port Technology (PTI) (@PortTechnology) April 1, 2019
In addition to this, MSC has arranged for an extra vessel – MV Demeter – to take the cargo that was onboard MSC SANDRA from Sines to Liverpool.
While MSC does expect normal service to resume soon, it has warned that an additional number of vessels may have to omit a Sines call in the next few days.
A further statement from the company read: “We very much regret any inconvenience this may cause you. Please rest assured that we will endeavour to ensure this operation is completed as quickly as possible.”
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