Southampton Container Terminals (SCT) is slowly returning to normal operation after one of its cranes collapsed on to a container ship on Friday 18 January. Although no one was injured in the incident, service at the dock was suspended and all cranes are undergoing thorough inspection to ensure the event does not recur.
An SCT spokeswoman says: "The terminal is currently operating with five cranes [out of 11] on one main berth. Smaller vessels
will be handled by the mobile harbour crane. "We are working to facilitate a progressive return to operation of four further cranes as soon as possible, most likely later this week. We'll also continue to work with the shipping lines to minimise the impact.
The cause of the collapse is still unclear. "The investigation is ongoing and we are not, at this stage, in a position to make any statement as to the cause of the incident," the spokeswoman says.
As a result of the incident many trucks were diverted to other ports some production plants that rely on just-in-time deliveries, such as Honda in Swindon, had to be shut temporarily. The ship struck by the crane was Hapag Lloyd's Kyoto Express.
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