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Collision off Karachi
The 'Niwa', which was waiting to embark a pilot and moving slowly toward the navigation channel of Karachi, was in collision with the container ship 'Papu' (IMO: 9377561) on May 28, 2026, at around 8 p.m. on the anchorage of Karachi. The incident occurred outside the Fairway Buoy. The 'Niwa' was approaching Karachi enroute from Salalah, while the 'Papu' had departed the port enroute to Jeddah. The impact caused a hull breach at the bow of the 'Niwa', which was severely deformed, and significant structural damage. The 'Papu' lost at least one container, possible some more, over board. The Karachi Port Trust deployed the tugs 'MT Mithadar', 'MT Kharadar', 'MT Lyari' and 'MT Keamari' to safely escort the damaged vessel. The 'Niwa' was taken to berth 5 in Karachi, while the 'Papu' was directed to an anchorage for inspections, where it was moored in pos. 24° 38' N 066° 55' E as of June 2, before proceedingto the port of Karachi too. Initial findings suggested possible negligence by the captains of both vessels. The Deputy Conservator Captain Abrar Arif, Harbour Master Captain Babar Salim and Dock Master Captain Hamid Khan Jadoon supervised the rescue operation, which was concluded at around midnight. Port operations continued without disruption during the response. The Mercantile Marine Department and Karachi Port Trust launched a joint investigation. Insurance representatives would also take part in the inquiry to determine the cause of the accident and assess the extent of the damage. The 'Papu', which was delivered by the HDW shipyard in Kiel as 'Main Trader' in 2008, was cited by Chinese officials in November 2025 for 17 deficiencies during a Port State inspection. Among the issues listed were the auxiliary engine and the condition of the steering gear. Report with photo: https://www.dawn.com/news/2003781
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