Docks crane collapse caught on CCTV

8:30am Saturday 2nd February 2008

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By Ash Bolton »

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INVESTIGATORS can today finally begin to look into a crane crash which brought chaos to Southampton docks.

The inquiry gets under way as spectacular video footage of the crane toppling over at the city's container terminal on to the deck of the Kyoto Express container ship can be revealed.

No one was hurt during the incident but a long clean-up operation has ended allowing the Health and Safety Executive to launch an investigation.

The 25-second clip was filmed on a mobile phone from CCTV footage at the docks and shows one of the site's 11 booms falling.

The damage to the ship was superficial but it was delayed for repairs.

Immediately after the incident the police called the Health and Safety Executive and SCT launched an internal investigation after the accident 16 days ago.

One worker told the Daily Echo the crane next to the faulty boom was closed down a week before the accident after reports it had stress fractures.

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said the crane suffered from a "structural failure".

She said: "Since the accident there has been a recovery stage and an investigation into what went wrong is beginning now. They have been investigating if the cranes are safe and slowly bringing them back into action. The company took the decision to stop all work there and bring the cranes in one by one. The clean-up operation is finishing now so the investigation can begin."

Since the accident business at SCT has been significantly affected with the port running at around half its normal capacity as emergency inspections put other cranes out of action.

SCT managing director Campbell Mason said the cause of the collapse of part of one of the giant harbour-side cranes remained a mystery.

Mr Mason said: "I can't comment on an ongoing investigation but we are not yet at the point of identifying a cause."

SCT, a joint venture between P&O and dock owners Associated British Ports, operates 11 ship-to-shore cranes, more than 100 straddle carriers, five sprinter carriers, six empty container handlers and four reach stackers.