Shipping containers collapseat Manila port; 1 hurt

MANILA, Philippines - A crane operator was injured when 27 shipping containers stacked in the Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) container yard at the Port of Manila collapsed last Saturday, an official said yesterday.

ATI spokesperson Dominador Antonio Bustamante said that the rubber tire gantry (RTG) crane operator, whom he did not identify, has been discharged from the hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.

Bustamante said that as of yesterday, they were still trying to determine the circumstances that led to the incident, which took place at around 1 p.m. on July 12.

According to initial reports, 27 containers, stacked in a one-block area of the Manila South Harbor, tumbled down and damaged the crane.

“We have already sent out our surveyors and recovery crew to manage the containers. We have also cordoned off the area to ensure the public’s safety,” he said.

The ATI officer said the incident did not affect the firm’s operations and did not cause any traffic at the port.

“Here at the South Harbor we have several gates for operation. The immediate area affected was the one fronting the Bureau of Customs (BOC). But at the back of the stack we have another access route so the flow of traffic was not affected,” he said.

Bustamante downplayed that impact of the incident, claiming that the 27 container vans were filled with dry goods and not hazardous or dangerous cargo. “Our piers are partitioned, we separate those what we call dangerous cargo,” he said.

The ATI is coordinating with the shipping lines and the consignees of the affected shipping containers, according to Bustamante.