There was a collision between two cargo ships in Canada on Saturday. The two cargo ships collided bow against bow while they were sailing down an artificial canal in Ontario and the scene was filmed by some members of the public, most likely ‘ship spotters’, who were standing on the banks of the channel to watch the passage of the ships.

Involved in the incident were the Alanis and the Florence Spirit, coming from opposite directions along the Welland Canal, a shipping channel that connects lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The Alanis was transporting parts for wind turbines to Lake Erie, while the Florence Spirit was heading to Lake Ontario with its load of coal.

In the video filmed by Alex Stewart and then shared by local media and social networks, you can see the two ships travelling in opposite directions. According to local media, one of the two cargo vessels suffered from a fault in the wheelhouse and the pilots on the ships (who were already communicating) noticing that there was no more manoeuvring space, forecast the collision. The ships, which usually pass each other on the left in the canal, collided head on.

There were no injuries in the accident and there were no leaks of polluting substances. Both vessels suffered bow damage, but the biggest damage was to the Florence Spirit, which had a deeper draught and dropped anchor in the location where the accident occurred. The Alanis, however, reached Colborne approximately an hour after the collision.

Video: Facebook / Alex Stewart

Giuseppe Orrù