On August 2, 2020, about 1402 local time, the containership CMA CGM Bianca was loading cargo while moored at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal in New Orleans, Louisiana, when a sudden, localized thunderstorm passed through the area. The vessel’s mooring lines parted in the high winds, and the ship moved away from the pier. Containers being lifted by shoreside gantry cranes struck the ship, and one damaged container dropped in the water, spilling a cargo of plastic pellets. A crane operator suffered a minor injury. The total cost of damage was estimated at $15 million for the shoreside gantry cranes and $60,196 for the ship.
The Malta-flagged, 1,099-foot-long CMA CGM Bianca was built in 2010 and had a maximum container capacity of 8,533 TEU. The vessel was operated by French shipping conglomerate CMA CGM, and had a single, slow-speed diesel main engine manufactured by MAN B&W and rated at 96,875 horsepower. A tunnel thruster at the bow provided maneuvering assistance during berthing operations.
The Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal was owned by the Port of New Orleans, a public agency of the state of Louisiana, and operation of the facility was contracted to Ports America, a commercial marine terminal management company. By contract, Ports America sourced longshoremen, including crane operators, from the International Longshoremen’s Association union Local 3000.
At 0418 on August 2, the CMA CGM Bianca moored starboard side to at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal. Eight lines were rigged from the bow, with five head lines tending forward and three spring lines tending aft, and eight lines were rigged from the stern, with three spring lines tending forward and five stern lines tending aft. The ship was equipped with self-tensioning-capable mooring winches that, when engaged, heaved in or payed out line to maintain line tension between a set range. The auto-tensioning devices on the mooring line winches were not engaged because, according to the master, the river current in the Mississippi River and wash from passing vessels could trigger unwanted payout, resulting in slack lines. Instead, the mooring winches were secured by their brakes, and the lines were inspected by the crew during regular rounds to ensure adequate tension.
The vessel had four additional mooring points along each side of the main deck and three spare lines. However, these were not used during normal conditions and were not rigged on the morning of the accident.
About 0700, longshoremen arrived at the pier to begin cargo operations. At 0712, container unloading commenced, followed shortly thereafter by concurrent loading operations, using gantry cranes nos. 5 and 6.
The crane operators and crewmembers of the CMA CGM Bianca reported extreme high winds that came on “in seconds” during heavy rains. Rains were heavy enough to completely obscure the visibility of security cameras at the terminal. Although the closest official weather station recorded winds peaking at 31 mph, a vessel located very close to the accident reported a wind gust at 73 mph. The master said that the storm was “in the form of a tornado.” Taken together, the evidence suggests that the CMA CGM Bianca was struck by outflow winds from a downburst, causing the vessel to break away from the pier and the gantry cranes to move along their rails.
The crane operators who conducted cargo operations on the CMA CGM Bianca were not familiar with Ports America’s procedures for high wind, however their lack of knowledge was not a factor in the accident. The crane operators were aware of the danger of high winds and had a general understanding that operations should cease under these conditions. The crane operator in each crane started to move the crane and attached container into a safe position when the wind hit the container terminal; however, due to the wind’s sudden onset and extreme velocity, they had little time to act before the suspended containers struck the vessel and containers on board.
The mooring lines on the CMA CGM Bianca were certificated and in good or acceptable condition, but the force of wind against the ship’s sail area during the downburst overcame the breaking strength of several lines, leading to the ship’s moving away from the pier.
Within minutes of the CMA CGM Bianca’s lines parting, the crew had dropped both anchors in the water, energized the bow thruster, and started and transferred control of the main engine to the bridge. The crew then used the thruster and engines, along with the anchors, to hold the vessel’s position in the river. The quick actions of the crew prevented the vessel from drifting downriver, where it could have caused damage to other vessels or shore infrastructure.
The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the breakaway of the containership CMA CGM Bianca and the ensuing equipment damage was the sudden onset of unforecasted severe winds likely originating from the outflow of a thunderstorm-generated downburst.
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