EMEA News
Bunker Spill in Hamburg After Pilot Boat Hits CMA CGM Box Ship
A CMA CGM S.A. (CMA CGM) box ship, CMA CGM Bellini, was struck by a pilot boat in Hamburg at 8 a.m. on Sunday while it was docking at the Waltershofer Hafen, causing an estimated five cubic metres (cbm) of bunkers to spill into the water, according to local media reports.
The hull of the 5,782 TEU CMA CGM Bellini is said to have been gashed open during the collision, causing bunkers to spill into the water at a rate of about 100 litres per minute.
An eight km oil slick of about 50 cm in width is noted to have been observed on the Elbe River toward the town of Wedel.
More than 50 responders are reported to have been deployed to the scene to debunker the remaining fuel from the vessel's breached tank.
Clean up operations are said to have continued throughout the day on Sunday.
In February, BIMCO announced that it began work with the International Spill Control Organisation (ISCO) for the development of a standard contract for hiring of spill response services and equipment, intended for use by shipowners who have had a spill caused by one of their vessels and need to hire a contractor to perform clean-up services.
