One of Evergreen Marine Corporation’s ships has been held in China’s Qingdao port for investigations after colliding with another vessel.
The 2014-built 8,508 TEU Ever Lucid, deployed to the Taiwanese line’s Transpacific Northwest Service, reportedly collided with an unnamed Chinese cargo ship around 1 am local time on 14 March. The ship set out from Qingdao just before 10 pm local time on 13 March, while the Taipei-flagged Ever Lucid was to have sailed from Shanghai to the port of Ningbo.
Ever Lucid’s captain found that the 12 crewmen on the Chinese ship were in distress, and turned back to help rescue them.
Local media reports suggested that the Chinese ship did not abide by collision avoidance guidelines.
In a press statement, Evergreen said, “Following instructions from the local maritime authority, Ever Lucid proceeded to anchor at Qingdao. The Chinese cargo ship was also safely moved to a berth in the port. Both crews are currently cooperating with the maritime investigation team. Fortunately, the accident resulted in damage only to the hulls of the ships, with no injuries or fuel leaks reported.”
Taiwan Transportation Safety Board said that it will not open a probe.
Board chairman Lin Shinn-der noted, “There’re no casualties, no injuries and no major environmental impact. We will respect the Chinese investigation effort.”
This is the second accident involving Ever Lucid. In April 2021, the ship collided with a Chinese fishing trawler outside Zhoushan port, resulting in the disappearance of five of the six crewmen on the latter vessel.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
