Grounded boxship Kea Trader splits in half

Lomar Shipping’s container vessel Kea Trader, which had ran aground on a reef off New Caledonia on July 12, developed a crack, resulting in the vessel being split in half.

The crack along the vessel’s hull was caused due to this weekend’s inclement weather on the Durand Reef, sources reveal.

The 2017-built ship had reportedly suffered extensive damage in propeller and hull and rudder and the condition was deteriorating.

What is more, there was evidence of further structural damage within the vessel and the situation became worse, as the ship remained on the rock reef during rough swells.

Furthermore, heavy fuel had been removed from the vessel, prior its developing a crack.

In September, Lomar Shipping announced that the ship has to be recycled, as damage assessments at that time had shown that repairing is not feasible.