CMA CGM has finally cleared up the APL Vanda mystery
CMA CGM has finally cleared up the APL Vanda mystery, finally admitting that the vessel suffered a stack collapse that lost 55 containers overboard.
AIS data shows that the 17,300 teu vessel docked at Doraleh Terminal, operated by China Merchants, at 05:30 local time after arriving on its own this morning local time.
CMA CGM said in a statement today: “On July 3, APL Vanda reported that approximately 55 containers from one bay fell overboard while the vessel was in heavy weather en route from Singapore to Suez, just before entering the Gulf of Aden. No injuries, all crew members are safe.
“The vessel stopped in Djibouti to clean some damaged containers on deck before safely continuing its voyage. We are working with all relevant authorities who have been informed of the situation."
According to a marine expert, monsoonal winds blowing from the southwest cause strong waves in the area and are a common occurrence at this time of the year.
“As the monsoon moves in a northeasterly direction from the equator to the Indian subcontinent, the APL Vanda would have had these swells on the left nose to the left beam, resulting in a synchronous roll and loss of the container. It seems that this is not a problem of parametric movement," the expert concluded.
He went on to say that the ship could not return to Singapore for the same reason, as the wave would then be on the starboard quarter of the ship. The vessel attempted to return to Singapore on July 6, but returned to anchor off Djibouti the same day.
"The AIS track shows that she approached the pier on the starboard side next to the berth, then broke the berth, went to turn around and then returned to the port berth at the Djibouti Container Terminal," the maritime expert explained.
He further said that these movements are consistent with southwest monsoon waves. "Winds from the port bow/beam can result in loss of cargo and destroyed starboard stacks, making starboard berthing difficult if there are overhanging containers."
A maritime expert believes this is the first case of a container being lost in the Arabian Sea and also the first container lost due to monsoon winds.
“Monsoon weather at the time of loss can be described as moderate to rough seas, widespread rain or thunderstorms accompanied by moderate visibility that becomes poor during rain.