Investigators probe fallen fruit cargo incident

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch sent a team to the Liberia-registered vessel on December 6 just three nautical miles off the Isle of Wight as it was getting ready to enter Portsmouth with its load of bananas, plantain and avocados.

Five containers were empty, according to the coast guard, which advised the public to avoid the area, and rescue teams from at least three services attended.

When some of the containers were spotted offshore,m helicopters and aircraft were despatched to carry out searches.

“At the time there were rough seas with a significant swell, and strong south-westerly winds,” the MAIB initial report says. “Subsequent to the incident the Solent deep-water channel was closed for a short period, causing disruption to local ports due to the potential risk to shipping of collision with semi-submerged containers.”

Thirteen of the shipping containers washed ashore on the south coast at Selsey, Bognor Regis and Pagham Harbour, ‘which has resulted in foodstuffs and plastic insulation being deposited on the beach’, says the MAIB . Three shipping containers remain unaccounted for, and a clean-up operation is under way.

“Initial findings indicate that some containers were not properly secured for the vessel’s arrival in port, and they were lost overboard when Baltic Klipper rolled heavily as it manoeuvred to pick up a pilot for entry into Portsmouth.”

The purpose of the MAIB’s safety investigation will be to establish the cause of events that led to this accident, understand why it happened, and make recommendations to prevent similar accidents reoccurring.

The investigation will focus on the practice of removing cargo securing arrangements while vessels are under way before entering port and the impact of the pollution.

Baltic Klipper is owned by the Seatrade Group, and left the Caribbean with its fruit cargo for Europe and stopped at Vlissingen, in the Netherlands, before continuing on to the UK.