One Killed As New Chinese Domestic Boxship And Bulker Collide Off Ningbo

The Ningbo Maritime Safety Administration confirmed that one seafarer died and three others were injured last weekend when a domestic container ship and a domestic dry bulk carrier collided. The collision happened overnight in the early morning hours of March 29 in a busy area near the Ningbo port complex.

The report indicates that the collision took place between a brand new containership, Ningyuan Beilun (15,000 dwt) which had been delivered at the end of February to Ningbo Ocean Shipping. The vessel is part of the domestic feeder carrier’s expansion efforts. The open-hatch containership was departing Ningbo carrying 934 TEU.

It collided with the dry bulk carrier Jianghai Zhida 66 (14,000 dwt). The vessel entered service in May 2023. It is unclear if it was loaded when the collision occurred. It had a crew of 13 aboard.

The bulker immediately began taking on water and according to the reports sank in just five minutes. The Safety Administration reports the rescue operation lasted four hours to locate the crewmembers from the water. Nine were recovered uninjured and three were taken to a hospital. One person was deceased when they recovered the body.

Damage to the containership is reported to be minor. The vessel is being held in the Zhoushan Anchorage pending the investigation.

Ningbo Ocean had just celebrated the entry of the new vessel into service highlighting with its delivery its fleet reached a new level. The company said its total capacity now exceeds 50,000 TEU. It is one of eight ships in this class, each with a length of 136 meters (446 feet). The company said they have a higher transportation efficiency, larger loading capacity, and provide better energy-savings. The company is now operating a total of over 100 ships owned or chartered and serving 40 routes.