Suez Canal container ships collide (Video)

Two large container ships have collided at the northern end of Egypt’s Suez Canal on Monday.

The collision, which delayed traffic through the global shipping trade route, occurred between the German MV Colombo Express and the Singaporean MV Maersk Tanjong.

In the video above, apparently filmed from a third vessel, it appears that the 1,062-foot Colombo Express is overtaking the 1,089-foot Maersk Tanjong when the first ship suddenly careens into the side of the second vessel.

The gCaptain website speculates: “Something went terribly wrong … aboard Hapag-Lloyd’s containership Colombo Express when it lost control and slammed into the Maersk Tanjong. Both vessels were heading south through the Suez Canal.”

Agents Inchcape Shipping Services, quoted by Reuters: “The incident has severely interrupted the second southbound convoy and the northbound convoy is therefore expected to be delayed.”

Inchcape says the Maersk Tanjong was clearing the Suez Canal Container terminal to join a convoy at the time of the collision. It said three containers had fallen overboard from the Colombo Express, which also has a 65-foot-long dent in its port (left) side, according to TradeWinds.

Agencies/Canadajournal