Container vessels colliding with gantry cranes can result in significant costs. While vessel negligence is often assumed in such cases, the incident involving The Paris Express [2024]—where the vessel’s funnel housing struck a gantry crane’s boom during a nighttime departure from Rotterdam, resulting in over $1 million in repair costs—stands out as a case that questions the shared responsibilities of both the ship’s crew and the terminal in preventing such incidents.
In this instance, the gantry crane was parked behind the vessel’s stern with its boom lowered for maintenance, deviating from the usual practice at the port where cranes are parked amidships with their booms raised. Neither the Master nor the Pilot was aware of the crane’s position. The crane was only noticed 2.5 mins before the incident. The terminal placed blame on the vessel’s crew, while the vessel’s owner argued that the terminal should have illuminated the boom and informed the pilotage service or the ship’s crew of the crane’s location.
The Rotterdam District Court first examined the vessel’s role, noting that the Master, Pilot, and the officer stationed aft did not adequately ensure the vessel could depart safely. For example, there was no communication between the bridge and the aft mooring station about the crane, even though the aft officer had observed its base. Next, the Court reviewed the terminal’s actions, identifying several missed opportunities to prevent the incident. The terminal could have informed the pilot and crew about the crane, illuminated the boom, or parked the crane farther astern. The Court ultimately held the terminal 80% responsible for the incident, citing its failure to take sufficient precautions to minimize risk.
Link to judgement: https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/details?id=ECLI:NL:RBROT:2024:11285&showbutton=true&keyword=%2522vessel%2522&idx=8
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