bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

At least eight people were feared dead after a container ship smashed into a control tower in Italy's busiest port in Genoa.
The 50-metre high, glass-topped tower was destroyed when the Jolly Nero ploughed into the dock during the night.

The captain of the container ship, Walter Cotugno, has been questioned by officials, the ANSA news agency said.
Local media reported that he had been placed under investigation for manslaughter.
Prosecutors and coastguards have launched two inquiries into the incident.
Some people were thrown into the water, while others were trapped in a lift which plunged into the sea, fire brigade workers said. "Five bodies have been recovered and two more have been spotted but not yet extracted," coastguard spokesman Filippo Marini said.
A 50-year-old man was pulled alive from the rubble 12 hours after the accident and rushed to hospital and at least one more person is missing.
Some media said three people were unaccounted for.
The Jolly Nero was following protocol by navigating towards the control tower and should have then turned into the open sea to its next port of call, Naples, but it instead hit the shore.
The accident, which took place at around half past midnight, shocked Italians still reeling from the Costa Concordia shipwreck off Giglio island in January last year which left 32 dead. Indictment hearings against six suspects in the cruise liner disaster began in Italy on April 15, with local authorities at the site of the shipwreck requesting compensation of more than €80 million (HK$812.4 million).
Genoa mayor Marco Doria said Italians were in mourning after this "very serious port accident which struck an entire city".
The ship's owner, Stefano Messina, who arrived at the port soon after the crash, choked back tears and said: "We are all utterly shocked. Nothing like this has ever happened before. We are desperate."
The port's night watchman, known only as Roberto, told La Repubblica newspaper: "I heard a terrible din and rushed out of my cabin. It was an incredible sight - the control tower was leaning perilously."
The impact happened during a shift change at the tower which meant that more people were present than usual.
The vast metal structure bent 45 degrees and a part of it fell into the sea. Il Secolo XIX  newspaper, based in Genoa, said: "Based on the few details which have emerged so far, it was an incomprehensible manoeuvre which could only be explained by a mechanical failure."
Claudio Burlando, governor of the local Liguria region, told news channel Sky Tg 24: "The ship was being steered by an on-board pilot and two tug boats, one in front and one behind. It was a manoeuvre done hundreds of times."
The captain was quoted as saying: "Two engines seem to have failed and we lost control of the ship."
The company's fleet has been involved in a series of incidents around the world in recent years, including in South Africa and Egypt.
A report by Il Fatto Quotidiano said the company's ships had been tied to episodes of toxic- waste trafficking in the past.


Thai navy says cargo ship attacked near Strait of Hormuz

Ships brandish China links to evade Iran’s attacks in Strait of Hormuz

Sri Lanka rescues Iranian sailors after US torpedo sinks frigate

At least 15 dead after migrant speedboat and Greek coastguard vessel collide

Marine safety

Eight dead as container ship crashes into control tower at port in Genoa

Part of the control tower at Genoa lies in a heap of rubble yesterday.Photo: Reuters

How the control tower used to look. Photo: Reuters

News

World

Night-time accident in Genoa revives memories of last year's deadly Costa Concordia disaster


At least eight people were feared dead after a container ship smashed into a control tower in Italy's busiest port in Genoa. The 50-metre high, glass-topped tower was destroyed when the Jolly Nero ploughed into the dock during the night.


Eight dead as container ship crashes into control tower at port in Genoa

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Night-time accident in Genoa revives memories of last year's deadly Costa Concordia disaster

Night-time accident in Genoa revives memories of last year's deadly Costa Concordia disaster