A 52-year-old crane operator died last night at the German port of Bremerhaven when a boom of the crane he was operating collapsed and crashed onto a container ship being handled 50 meters below, the local police said.
The unfortunate operator was loading and unloading the 6,674 TEU Maersk Karachi when the boom collapsed and his gondola fell into a hold of the vessel. The authorities were informed of the accident at around 00:45 am local time today.
The emergency crews found the deceased man after several hours of searching and clearing the site. Nobody else was injured in the crash.
The local Criminal Investigation Department has begun an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
The Maersk Karachi and several containers aboard the ship suffered damages and will need repairs prior to departing. The Bremerhaven container terminal is operated by APM Terminals.
World Maritime News Staff