A Panamanian container vessel ran into a Chinese cargo ship under a foul weather Sunday at the sea- lane of Tianjin Port, north China, and caused dangerous chemical on board to spill over, according to port sources.

At 10:00 p.m. Sunday, the Panamanian vessel loaded with containers bumped face-to-face into an internal-trade ship, while waiting at the seal-lane of Tianjin in heavy rain and dense fog for suitable weather to sail towards Japan. The tip of the Chinese vessel damaged the containers filled with furfuralcohol, a sort of poisonous, flammable chemical, on the second story of the Panamanian vessel. The chemical spilled over immediately.

The Port dispatched workers to unload the containers from the Panamanian vessel, which had to linger at the Port after the collision. By press time, the unloading work is continuing and conditions of the sea-lane tainted by the chemical are being monitored.

(Xinhua News Agency November 2, 2004)