Bulk carrier Trans Summer on its side before sinking off Hong Kong in a strong typhoon Utor yesterday.
HONG KONG: A 190-metre-long cargo ship sank off Hong Kong yesterday in a strong typhoon that whipped up towering waves and forced much of the city to shut down, after killing six in the Philippines.
Packing winds of up to 150 kilometres per hour at its centre, Typhoon Utor made landfall in mainland China at 3.50pm in the southern city of Yangjiang, the official Xinhua news agency said.
More than 158,000 people had been relocated in southern China ahead of its arrival, Xinhua said, warning of heavy rains and strong winds.
The 21 crew of the bulk carrier Trans Summer abandoned ship as the vessel tipped on its side and sank 80km southwest of Hong Kong, triggering a rescue by two helicopter teams and a passing ship.
“The waves were 10 to 15 metres high. The wind was 90km per hour,” Samuel Yip of the city’s Flying Service said.
“The air crew saw the ship was leaning to the left side by about 20 to 30 degrees and started to sink when it tilted almost 90 degrees.”
Alan Loynd, managing director of Branscombe Marine Consultants, said such ships were designed to withstand extreme weather, so something must have gone wrong. “If there’s an engine breakdown, then the ship can get turned broadside on to the weather. Then the cargo could shift, forcing the ship over,” he said. “Once the ship loses control in those sort of severe weather conditions it can quickly turn into a disaster.”
AFP
