20.02.2007

Close call

A 700 tonne petroleum reactor vessel belonging to BP was dropped by the ship to shore crane that was unloading it on Sunday after a cable broke.

The accident occurred about 4:15 p.m. as the Dutch-flagged ship Jumbo Challenger was off-loading the 30 metre long reactor, used in oil refining processes, at Berth 136 of the Port of Los Angeles.

Reports suggest that one of the rigging cables broke allowing one end of the reactor to crash onto the dock and the other half came to rest on the side of the ship.

The reactor, destined for BP's Carson refinery, dropped only a metre or two and showed little sign of any damage, according to a BP spokesman Walter Neil. "It's a very strong, very secure piece of equipment, damage was virtually nil." He said.

No injuries were reported, but the ship suffered damage to its hull. The crane suffered some damage as well. U.S. Coast Guard and Los Angeles Port Police are investigating