On 14 January, the Portuguese-flagged container ship Maria Francisca suffered a stack collapse during severe weather, with several containers falling overboard. The vessel was subsequently towed to Vigo, Spain. No injuries or pollution have been reported.
Maria Francisca was sailing from São Tomé to Vigo and Leixões (Portugal) when it encountered storm conditions. A number of containers were lost at sea, while many others in the remaining stacks toppled and sustained damage. Authorities confirmed that none of the containers lost overboard contained dangerous goods.
The ship developed a significant port list, but the situation was brought under control thanks to precautionary measures taken by the crew and operating at reduced speed.
After arriving in Vigo and berthing safely, cargo-handling operations began to remove, reposition and secure damaged containers. Experts, insurers and maritime specialists are on site to manage the response and minimize further cargo damage.
Maria Francisca is a Portuguese-flagged container vessel built in 2004. The ship is 192.95 m long and 27.8 m wide, with a gross tonnage of 23,132 GT.
