Vessel Collision at Port of Tyne Causes Crane Collapse, One Injured

A multi-purpose vessel collided with the moored containership at the Port of Tyne, England. The incident caused a quayside gantry crane to collapse onto the containership, and one individual was reported injured.

Vessel BG ORNAGE, image credit; Vincent de Koning

The incident occurred at around 1:02 pm local time on 19 July when the Denmark-flagged multi-purpose vessel Wind Orca, while departing from the port, collided with the Portugal-flagged container ship BG Orange. The crane crashed on the containership's accommodation block and displaced several containers.

Emergency services, including police, fire crews, three ambulances, three Hazardous Area Response Team vehicles, and the Air Ambulance Service, responded to the incident. One person was injured and taken to the hospital.

Following the incident, Wind Orca returned to the Tyne Renewables Quay, while the BG Orange remained at the port's container terminal. The extent of damage to the containership is yet to be known. An investigation has been launched by the port authority to determine the cause of the incident.