07.08.2008

Three port cranes collapse in Vietnam

Three cranes at Cua Ong Port in Quang Ninh Province, China have collapsed at early this morning. They were not in use and no casualties are reported. However losses are estimated at VND200 billion (US$12 million).

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The damage caused by the three collapsed port cranes is estimated at VND200 billion (US million).

Witnesses said bad weather with heavy rain and strong winds caused the accident. A power cut had prevented the cranes being moved to a safer place.

The cranes were being used to transfer coal for the Vietnam National Coal and Minerals Industry Group’s Cua Ong Coal Selecting Company.

Two of the cranes are thought to have been made by the Hitachi Corporation while the remainder was made by a German manufacturer. Each had a capacity of 15,000 tons of coal per day.

A few weeks ago, a crane at Cai Lan Port in Quang Ninh Province collapsed during assembly, killing seven workers and seriously injured one.