Hull holed after Cosco 8,500-TEUer side-swipes Panama Canal wall
COSCO's 8,500-TEU Xin Fei Zhou scraped the Panama Canal wall in the Agua Clara locks, local media reported.
The ship's hull was damaged and "breached", however, the canal's traffic was not affected as the canal wall suffered only a minor damage, local media reports say.
According to the vessel's AIS data, it is still anchored near the canal.
Earlier this year, the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) raised in its joint study with Brazil's Fundacao Homem de Mar (FHM) considerable safety concerns related to the Expanded Panama Canal's new locks.
The study found that under windy conditions the maneuverability of vessels would be compromised, making accidents likely due to the lock's narrow dimensions.
But the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) dismissed the study, putting in question its scientific accuracy and credibility.
COSCO's 8,500-TEU Xin Fei Zhou scraped the Panama Canal wall in the Agua Clara locks, local media reported.
The ship's hull was damaged and "breached", however, the canal's traffic was not affected as the canal wall suffered only a minor damage, local media reports say.
According to the vessel's AIS data, it is still anchored near the canal.
Earlier this year, the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) raised in its joint study with Brazil's Fundacao Homem de Mar (FHM) considerable safety concerns related to the Expanded Panama Canal's new locks.
The study found that under windy conditions the maneuverability of vessels would be compromised, making accidents likely due to the lock's narrow dimensions.
But the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) dismissed the study, putting in question its scientific accuracy and credibility.