Bulkcarrier stuck in Skikda

The "Sea Lady", having arrived in Skikda, having come from Las Palmas with a cargo of 43.700 tonnes of maize, struck the bottom of the basin on Feb 14, 2017, at about 10 p.m. and failed to reach its berth at the second port basin to unload its cargo. The bulkcarrier remained stuck in the port basin of Skikda, causing some disruption in port traffic and blocking the eastern part of the port. The draft of the second basin of the port is 9.80 m, while the ship had a draft of 10.90 m. The accident was caused by human error. Early attempts to clear the bottom have been made during the night, but were stopped awaiting more information. In the morning of Feb 15. a survey of the bottom was made by divers. Around 4 p.m. five tugs from the Skikda port company started attempts to pull the ship off. The "Sea Lady" already had trouble on Feb 13 when it was towed to the quay Château-Vert, where it had difficulties to approach its berth. She was then allowed to return to the anchorage. Finally, she tried to enter the port of Skikda in the evening, with the result now known.