A foreign-owned palm oil tanker collided with a jetty in the Yangon River on Tuesday morning, causing significant damage to the jetty and sinking a small wooden motorboat.
The ship’s captain reportedly lost control of the ship, and it drifted into the Naing Group Jetty, located near the Strand Road market.
“The boat drifted downstream and collided with the wharf and a boat. There were no casualties or injuries due to the accident, and no one has opened a lawsuit. Representatives of the port authority and the vessel have already discussed the issue,” an unnamed police officer told Eleven.
The small wooden boat has been valued at around K500,000.
A video of the collision shows the ship drifting into the jetty as small boats scramble to escape its path. People can be seen running away from the ship as it strikes the jetty. (The collision happens just after the 1:12 mark.)
“The vessel drifted downstream with force, so people on boats near the area had to run for their lives,” said an eye-witness.
One maritime worker told Eleven that the ship was moving too fast for the section of the river it was in, causing the captain to lose control.
Police will reportedly launch an investigation into the crash.
