Containership lost engine power off California

Wan Hai 176, a 1,700TEU Singapore-flagged container ship was en route to Seattle when lost engine power. Hence, on Friday afternoon it began to drift about 12 miles from the coast of Point Reyes, California. The crew had trouble anchoring, and the ship drifted toward the coast.

Incident Management

The US Coast Guard responded, along with officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Office of Spill Prevention and Response and Marin County. Three tugs were on scene by early Saturday morning, but rough seas prevented them from deploying lines for towing. The National Weather Service issued a gale warning for the waters in that area through Sunday morning. Making the situation even more challenging for the containership that lost engine power.

Moreover, the ship, owned by Taiwan’s Wan Hai Lines, is carrying almost 800 containers. Particularly, sailing under the Singapore flag while registered to a Greek company, according to Vesselfinder.

Therefore, the Coast Guard had the boom equipment standing by in case there was a fuel spill.

The Wan Hai 176 remained stable at anchor overnight while tugs transited to the ship’s location. The tugs Stacey Foss, Delta Deanna, and Delta Billie were on the scene to assist.

Fortunately, the containership has been successfully towed to the San Francisco Bay, where it is waiting at anchor. After rough weather for a couple of days, conditions improved on Sunday. Thus, allowing one of the tugs on-site to pass tow lines to the ship’s crew. Four tugs then guided the ship to its anchorage location in the bay.

The US Coast Guard has ordered the ship to remain at anchor until it manages to have its engines fixed and thereafter has been inspected.

There have been no reports of injuries or pollution from the incident.

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