Bulker Sinks off Shanghai, 14 Crew Evacuated

A Chinese bulk carrier Bao Jiang 88 capsized and subsequently sank some two nautical miles off Shanghai’s Yangshan port in Jinshan Fairway on February 29, according to the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration.

The cause of the incident is currently under investigation, however, there are reports that improper trimming of the vessel’s cargo led to the sinking.

The agency added that all of Bao Jiang 88’s fourteen crewmembers abandoned the ship before it sank, and were rescued by a nearby vessel.

The bulker, owned and operated by Jiangsu Baojiang Transportation and Trade, was carrying 4,600 tons of ore concentrates.

At the time of the incident the vessel was on its way from Ningbo to Nanjing.

On March 1 the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration reported that the 96-meter-long ship was on the bottom near Jinshan fairway buoy 22 with its hull partially above waterline.

World Maritime News Staff