Kaohsiung, July 7 (CNA) A Singapore-registered container ship crashed into a wharf in the Port of Kaohsiung on Friday, causing damage to the wharf but not hurting anyone, the company managing the port said.
The incident occurred after the 25,000-ton APL Jeddah set off from wharf No. 69 at 5:42 a.m. and started making its way out of the port, the Kaohsiung branch of Taiwan International Ports Corp. (TIPC) said.
While sailing past wharf No. 58, the ship suddenly lost power and started drifting before the bow of the ship crashed into the wharf, seriously damaging both the wharf and the ship, the company said.
An investigation has been launched into what caused the accident, it said.
According to Kaohsiung Port police, there were strong gusts when the vessel lost its power that blew the ship off course and into the wharf's direction.
APL refers to American President Lines, which has a branch in Taiwan. It merged with the Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) in 1997 to become the world's eighth largest freight transportation group.
