CMA CGM Pointe Noire knocks crane off its rails at Livorno and is detained

The containership CMA CGM Pointe Noire has been detained at Livorno after striking a ship-to-shore crane at Terminal Darsena Toscana on Wednesday 21 October. The 272-metre, Malta-flagged ship was turning in the basin with two tugs to approach her berth when her bridge hit the boom of a crane that was parked alongside the quay for maintenance.

The impact knocked the crane off its rails and left it tilting towards the water. The ship sustained only minor damage, and no one was hurt. Immediately after the accident only two of the terminal's six cranes, all of the same Paceco type, could be used.

The port authority has closed the water in front of quay 14, between bollards 15 and 29, out to 80 metres from the quay edge. The terminal brought in technicians from the crane manufacturer and has filed a stability report with the port authority. The damaged crane is due to be removed in the coming week, and restoring it could take several months. No figures have been given for cargo delays or waiting times at the terminal.

Authorities have held the ship pending the checks needed before she can be allowed to sail, and her master has been summoned to explain the manoeuvre. The port authority is investigating how the accident happened and who was responsible, and the coast guard is examining the manoeuvre itself. Marco Mignogna, general manager of Terminal Darsena Toscana, said the crane's position during maintenance had been agreed with the pilots and the maritime authority. The cause is not yet known.

Livorno is also one of eight Italian ports, with Ancona, Civitavecchia, Genoa, Gioia Tauro, Ravenna, Salerno and Trieste, where dockers' unions plan strikes and demonstrations on 30 October as part of coordinated action at more than 40 ports in Europe and the Mediterranean.

This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 28 October 2026.