Tug Boat Piloting Barge Load Of Containers Sinks At Tin-Can Port

Tug boat piloting barge load of containers sinks at Tin-can port

… As rescue efforts on Thursday failed

A tug boat piloting a barge loaded with containers have sank at berth 10 of Tin-can Island port, with the pilot of the tug boat said to have escape death by the winkers.

The berth is operated by Five Star Logistics Nigeria Limited while the tug boat belongs to Medlog, said to be the logistics aim of one of the multinational shipping lines.

On the reason for the sinking of the tug boat over a week ago, Vanguard gathered that there are conflicting reasons. While a dockworker said the crane hook which was to discharge the containers had fallen on the tug boat causing rapture that result in it taking in water rapidly; a staff of the Five Star Logistics said that the tug boat in its effort to berth the barge had rammed into the quay apron causing a rapture that resulted in the barge in taking water.

The dockworker who said that the incident occurred on Thursday last week, further disclosed that the tug boat sank shortly after before efforts to rescue it could be done.

When Vanguard visited the site of the incident Thursday, efforts were on by the terminal operators to savage the vessel. Two heavy duty barge cranes were on down, with divers trying to connect both hooks of the cranes to the vessel under the water.

A such at the terminal told Vanguard that the rescue effort was unsuccessful as cable of the two cranes snapped just as the tug boat was being pulled out of the water.

Vanguard had earlier gone to the Apapa office of Comet Shipping Line, the parent company of Five Star Logistics where our correspondent met with Mr. Kingsley of the Shipping department who directed Vanguard to Five Star Logistics office at the port.

At the Tin-can island office of Five Star Logistics, Vanguard was informed that the General Manager was not around and that there was no one to speak on the issue. Similarly, efforts to speak with the Port Manager of Tin-can Island Port, Sylvester Egede, proved abortive as he neither picked his calls nor respond to a text message sent to him.

Source:- Vanguardngr