Fortunately, no one was injured when one of two towering container cranes delivered to APM Terminals in Portsmouth, Virginia was clipped by another crane aboard a ship leaving the dock.
The accident occurred about 11:15 a.m. on February 14 when one of two large cranes aboard the Zhen Hua 24 clipped the boom a crane that was delivered by the ship on February 8. The crane was twisted and extensively damaged. The wharf also sustained minor damage, but no seamen or dockworkers were hurt.
The collision buckled one of the four sets of rail wheels on which the crane sits, so efforts focused on stabilizing the crane and evacuating ships and personnel from the area.The cranes are 259 feet tall and have a a boom length of 489 feet from front to back. Each weighs 1,650 tons. A crane accident could cause severe injury and death.
The crane is expected to be repaired.
Crane accident injuries are such a danger that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement held a conference in 2008 regarding crane operations and safety in order to prevent injury and death to seamen. You can learn more about crane safety in our article “
Offshore Cranes Can Cause Serious Injuries.”
If you have been injured in an offshore crane accident, you have rights. Contact the
New Orleans maritime law attorneys at The Young Firm for more information, 866-938-6113.
Category: Maritime Law
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