International shipping ports are urgently shut down due to loss of control of cargo ships, and surrounding vessels have activated diversion plans
A tense rescue operation is underway along the central coast of Portugal. A cargo ship experienced rudder failure while leaving the central coast of Portugal and is currently waiting for rescue near the coast.
The Portuguese authorities have ordered the closure of the port and issued a warning about the dangerous situation, while pointing out that the problem was caused by the failure of dredging operations in the entrance channel of the port of Figueira da Fos.
According to a brief report, on January 26th, the Dutch owned cargo ship "Eikborg" (with a deadweight tonnage of 3592 tons, operated by Royal Wagenburg Company) hit bottom upon departure. The ship only sailed a few miles away from the coast when it reported that the rudder had malfunctioned. This grocery ship is 89 meters (292 feet) long and is carrying a batch of pulp to Germany.
Paulo Mariano, the Portuguese Port Authority, stated that according to the Lusa news agency in Portugal, "the ship is attempting to maintain a certain course by reversing. He said that although this move was contrary to expectations, it was the only way for the captain to try to control the ship and adjust its position on the rough sea.
In addition, the severe weather off the coast has also intensified people's concerns. The report on Monday afternoon showed that the ship was located in the sea about 4 nautical miles southwest of the port entrance.
The captain is waiting in place for the tugboat dispatched from Le Chaus, and it is expected that "Eikborg" will be towed to Lisbon or Setubal.
However, port officials emphasized that they believe the incident was caused by the failure of dredging operations at the port entrance, rather than severe weather conditions. They stated that they have invested 28 million euros to transfer 3 million cubic meters of sand, but the sandbar has been problematic since the completion of the project.
Starting from 2pm on January 26th (local time), the port has ordered a ban on all large vessels and is conducting an investigation into the incident. According to reports, due to sandbar issues, the pilot refused to allow ships to enter or exit the port. Port officials stated that this is the second such incident to occur this month, and some ships have begun to divert to other ports.