According to Flows.be, the Liberian-flagged car carrier JISU FORTUNE collided with the Pierre Vandamme locks at the Port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, on September 24th. The vessel collided with the Pierre Vandamme lock during departure maneuvers. While no injuries were reported, damage to the vessel and the locks was sustained, temporarily closing the inner harbor channel at the Port of Zeebrugge and significantly impacting the port’s automotive logistics operations.
According to reports, the “JISU FORTUNE” was preparing to depart from Zeebrugge Port when the incident occurred. During the maneuver to enter the Vandamme lock, a sudden strong gust of wind caused the vessel to lose control, ultimately colliding with the lock gates.
Following the collision, both the vessel and the lock facilities sustained damage, rendering the inner harbor inaccessible to vessels for several hours. As the lock serves as the vital passage connecting Zeebrugge’s outer harbor to its inner harbor, the incident temporarily prevented other vessels from entering or exiting the inner harbor, forcing a temporary halt to port traffic.
Preliminary investigations indicate that a sudden strong wind (felle windstoot) was the direct cause of the vessel’s loss of control. The sudden change in weather on the day of the incident resulted in excessive winds, exceeding the vessel’s control threshold for maneuvering through the narrow channel and the locks.
Belgian port authorities immediately initiated an emergency response, sealing off the channel and dispatching personnel to inspect the damage to the locks. Traffic in and around the port gradually resumed over the following hours, although the damage to the locks still requires further assessment and repair.
In May of this year, the JISU FORTUNE completed its naming and maiden voyage ceremony at the Port of Taicang, Jiangsu Province. It set sail carrying over 5,000 vehicles manufactured in China, bound for the UK, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Under the original plan, the vessel was to proceed to Casablanca Port in Morocco following its operations in Zeebrugge; however, an accident has since delayed its voyage.
The “JISU FORTUNE” is the first ro-ro vessel owned by Geely Auto’s Jisu Logistics. With an overall length of 199.9 meters and a beam of 38 meters, it features 7,000 car equivalent Units. The vessel has 12 decks capable of carrying both fuel-powered and lithium-battery electric vehicles. Four of these decks are adjustable to accommodate vehicles of varying sizes. Additionally, decks 11 and 12 are designed to transport new energy vehicles powered by hydrogen and natural gas.
Equipped with two 2,000 cbm Type C LNG storage tanks, the vessel uses green and clean LNG as its primary fuel, significantly reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides, effectively improving energy conservation and emission reduction efficiency. This makes it a next-generation, environmentally friendly vessel. Its hull lines and various energy-saving devices further optimize its energy efficiency, providing more stable, low-carbon logistics support for the global delivery of Chinese new energy vehicles.
It’s worth noting that the “JISU FORTUNE” is a 7,000 CEU LNG dual-fuel car carrier ordered by Israeli shipowner Zodiac Maritime from CIMC Raffles in June 2022. Jisu Logistics has chosen a “charter-and-carry” model—obtaining customized shipping capacity through long-term charters from renowned global shipowners.