Bulk Carrier Collides with Quay at the Port of Durban 突发！德班港一艘散货船撞上码头

On the evening of 31 August local time, a maritime collision took place at South Africa’s Port of Durban, when a bulk carrier struck the quay while proceeding into port. Local media reported the incident occurred at approximately 21:30. Footage from the scene shows the vessel kept drifting toward the shoreline before making contact with the quay structure.

The Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) subsequently confirmed the collision. Emergency and operational response teams were dispatched to the site immediately after the incident. The involved vessel was later moved to an alternative berth for further inspections. No injuries have been reported to date. So far, while the cause of the collision remains under investigation.

当地时间8月31日晚间，南非德班港发生一起船舶与码头碰撞事故。一艘散货船在进港过程中撞上码头岸线。当地媒体报道称，事故发生在当晚约21时30分，现场视频显示，船舶在接近码头后持续向岸线方向移动，随后与码头发生碰撞。

南非国家港口管理局（TNPA）随后确认了这起事故，并表示事故发生后，相关应急和运营团队立即赶到现场。涉事船舶之后被转移至其他泊位，以便开展检查。目前没有人员受伤报告，事故原因仍在调查中。

Damage Sustained by the Vessel

Public vessel registry data identifies the incident-related ship as a Liberia-flagged Supramax bulk carrier built in 2025. Key vessel particulars are listed below:

Deadweight tonnage: around 40 600 DWT

Length overall: 180 meters

Beam: 30 meters

AIS data indicates the vessel arrived off Durban on 31 August.

Site photographs taken after the collision reveal visible damage on the vessel’s bow, with some images suggesting possible water ingress in the damaged area. Nevertheless, two critical points have yet to be verified:

1. Whether hull damage extends to under-waterline structures
2. The full extent of any damage to quay-side infrastructure

船舶受损情况

公开船舶资料显示，涉事船舶为一艘2025年建造的Supramax型散货船，载重约4.06万吨，船长180米、型宽30米，悬挂利比里亚旗。AIS信息显示，该船8月31日抵达德班港。

事故后的现场照片显示，船舶船艏出现明显损伤，部分画面还显示受损区域存在进水迹象。不过，目前尚无法确认船体损伤是否涉及水线以下结构，码头设施是否受到损坏也仍待进一步检查。

Why Berthing Operations Leave Little Room for Error

Incidents of this nature tend to happen during high-risk operational phases, including vessel entry or exit, berthing, unberthing and positional adjustments. During these operations, ships are left with relatively limited manoeuvring margin.

Multiple contributing factors may lead to such collisions, and potential variables cover:

1. Equipment operational condition
2. Bridge team navigational operations
3. Co-ordination with tugboats
4. External environmental forces such as wind and currents

As the official investigation is still ongoing, conclusions cannot be drawn merely based on visual footage from the scene.

Furthermore, large bulk carriers carry substantial inertia. Within constrained harbour basins, even when crews detect positional drift, the time window available for corrective action can be very narrow.

港内船舶的操纵余量较小

这类事故发生的位置通常处于船舶进出港、靠离泊和调整船位等操作阶段，也是船舶操纵余地相对有限的时候。

这类事故的成因可能涉及设备状态、驾驶操作、拖轮配合以及风流等外部条件。目前这起事故仍在调查中，具体原因还不能根据现场画面作出判断。大型散货船自身惯性较大，在狭窄港池内即使发现船位出现偏差，留给船员纠正的时间也可能非常有限。

Recommended Pre-entry Checks for Large Bulk Carriers

Before large bulk carriers enter confined waters, operators are advised to complete preparatory verifications and emergency planning:

1. Confirm reliable working condition for the main engine, steering gear and propulsion systems.
2. Prepare contingency response plans for scenarios such as loss of propulsion or impaired steering effectiveness.

Where tugboat assistance is required for berthing and unberthing operations, advance preparations should also cover:

• Confirmation of the number of assigned tugs
• Pre-defined operating positions for tugs
• Agreed communication protocols between bridge and tugs

Throughout berthing and unberthing evolutions:

Maintain clear, continuous communication among the bridge team, harbour pilot and tug masters.

Agree the ship-handling plan in advance and set out pre-defined emergency instructions for abnormal events.

Regulate vessel speed according to channel geometry, berth layout plus wind and current conditions, so as to reserve adequate room for deceleration and positional correction.

进港前多做一步检查

大型散货船进入受限水域前，应确认主机、舵机和推进系统状态正常，并针对失去动力、舵效异常等情况做好应急准备。涉及拖轮协助靠离泊时，还应提前确认拖轮数量、作业位置和通信方式。

靠离泊过程中，驾驶台与引航员、拖轮之间也需要保持清晰沟通，提前明确操船方案和异常情况下的应急指令。同时，根据航道、泊位、风流等条件控制船速，为减速和调整船位留出余量。

Collision-related Losses Extend Beyond Repair Costs

Following a quay collision, ship-owners first need to arrange hull inspection and formal damage assessment. If damage affects bow structures or extends below the waterline, the vessel may require temporary on-site repairs or even full dry-docking work. Actual repair timelines hinge on damage severity, repair location and spare-parts availability.

However, operational downtime often creates more substantial consequences than physical repair expenditure:

• The vessel may need to suspend its pre-set voyage schedule pending surveys, repairs or insurance claim procedures.
• Subsequent loading, discharging and next-port arrangements will be disrupted accordingly.
• Where vessels operate on tight schedules, one in-port casualty may create cascading delays that affect subsequent cargo parcels and multiple future voyages.

The quay infrastructure will also requires post-incident inspection. If berth structures sustain damage, the affected berth area may need to be restricted from use temporarily. At the time of writing, TNPA has not released confirmed findings on quay-side damage, nor has it stated whether normal port operations have been disrupted.

一次碰撞，损失可能远不止修船费用

碰撞发生后，船东首先需要面对的是船体检查和损伤评估。如果涉及船艏结构或水线以下区域，后续还可能需要临时修理甚至进坞维修，具体时间则取决于损伤程度、维修地点和备件供应。

但是更麻烦的通常是由此产生的时间损失。船舶可能需要退出原定航次计划，等待检验、维修或者保险处理，后续装货、卸货和下一港安排都会受到影响。如果船期本身比较紧张，一次港内事故可能继续向后传导，影响下一票货甚至后续几个航次。

码头一侧也需要检查。如果碰撞造成泊位设施受损，相关区域可能需要暂时限制使用。不过目前TNPA尚未确认码头设施的具体损伤，也没有说明事故是否已经影响德班港正常运营。

Persistent Operational Pressures at the Port of Durban

Operational strain at the Port of Durban rose notably through August, with particular market attention focused on Durban Gateway Terminal (DGT). DGT implemented a migration to the NAVIS N4 terminal operating system, which subsequently triggered elevated yard congestion and extended vessel waiting times. According to SAAFF statements, waiting periods for some vessels once stretched to between 8 and 12 days.

By late August, congestion at DGT had partially eased:

• Yard utilization fell to 73.8 % on 27 August.
• Nevertheless, vessel queuing persisted: nine vessels remained waiting at anchorage while four vessels were alongside for cargo operations.

德班港近期的运营压力还没有完全消退

进入8月以后，德班港的运营压力已经明显上升，其中Durban Gateway Terminal（DGT）的情况尤其受到关注。DGT此前进行NAVIS N4码头操作系统切换，随后出现堆场压力和船舶等待时间上升等问题。SAAFF此前表示，部分船舶等待时间一度达到8—12天。

截至8月底，DGT堆场压力已有所缓解，8月27日堆场利用率降至73.8%，但船舶等待仍然存在，当时仍有9艘船在锚地等待、4艘船靠泊作业。

Scheduling Advice for Bulk Carriers Calling at Durban

The Port of Durban handles a diverse mix of cargo flows including containers, dry bulk, general cargo and automobile ro-ro cargo. For bulk carriers planning upcoming port calls at Durban, operators should pay close attention to real-world berth allocation and vessel waiting times upon arrival.

There is currently no evidence establishing a direct causal link between this recent bulk-carrier collision and the earlier NAVIS N4 system-switch-related congestion issues at DGT; these are two separate incidents. Key areas requiring ongoing monitoring include:

1. The final extent of damage to the incident vessel
2. Whether quay-side infrastructure has sustained meaningful damage
3. Potential operational restrictions imposed on affected berths

Only if berths are shut for inspection or repairs can knock-on impacts on future berthing arrangements materialize.

Accordingly, ship-owners do not need to revise complete voyage plans solely in response to this collision event. Recommended practical measures are as follows:

• Keep tracking accident investigation progress, berth operational status and anchorage waiting queues.
• Adjust schedule buffers only if berth-restriction-related disruptions are confirmed.

近期挂靠德班的散货船，船期仍要留出余量

德班港承担集装箱、干散货、杂货和汽车等多类货物运输。对于近期计划挂靠德班的散货船来说，需要关注的主要还是船舶实际到港后的泊位安排和等待时间。

目前没有证据表明此次散货船碰撞与DGT此前的系统切换和堆场压力存在直接关系，两者也属于不同性质的事件。后续需要关注的，是船舶受损程度、码头设施是否受损，以及相关泊位是否受到限制。如果泊位需要检查或维修，才可能进一步影响后续靠泊安排。

对近期计划挂靠德班港的散货船而言，暂时没有必要因为这起事故改变整个航次安排，但建议持续关注事故调查、泊位状态和锚地等待情况。如果相关泊位受到限制，再根据实际影响调整船期预留。

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References:

The Witness,Durban harbour collision under investigation.

Freight News,Supramax crashes into Durban quay.

The Witness,WATCH | Dramatic ship collision rocks Durban harbour.

Freight News,DGT recovery remains fragile as stack occupancy rises.

The Loadsta,Carriers warn of 20-day delays as congestion crisis at Durban worsens.

Freight News,Durban Gateway Terminal in ‘crisis’ – freight forwarders.

*Disclaimer: All data, statements and analysis contained in this article are derived from publicly available materials and industry research reports. The content is intended purely for industry-sector exchange and reference purposes, and shall not constitute investment advice or binding operational commitments of any form. Shipping markets are subject to high levels of uncertainty driven by macro-economic shifts, geopolitical developments, weather volatility and other external variables. When making commercial and operational decisions, readers are advised to carry out independent judgement based on their own fleet profile, risk-bearing capacity and up-to-date real-time market intelligence.

*免责声明：本文所载数据及分析均基于公开信息和行业研究报告，仅供行业交流与参考，不构成任何投资建议或操作承诺。航运市场受宏观经济、地缘政治、天气变化等多重因素影响，存在不确定性。读者在制定具体经营决策时，应结合自身船队结构、风险承受能力及最新市场动态综合判断。