Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Container Ship Hits Hooghly Riverbank Near Kolkata Ferry Terminal
A very big ship called MV Nawata Bhum was sailing along a river in India called the River Hooghly.
It was carrying huge metal containers to the city of Kolkata.
The river has sharp bends, like curves in a road.
When the ship tried to turn at one of these curves, its steering got stuck and the fast-moving water pushed it.
The ship crashed into the muddy bank of the river.
This happened near a place called Diamond Harbour, close to a dock where ferries carry people.
Nobody was hurt because the captain honked the ship's horn loudly to warn everyone.
The crash damaged part of the riverbank, but the ship itself was not broken.
Helper boats called tugs came to pull the ship free when the water level rose, so it could finish its trip safely.
The Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Nawata Bhum struck the riverbank of the River Hooghly at Diamond Harbour, West Bengal, on Wednesday.
No one was injured, but the collision damaged the embankment and caused cracks along the bank near the Nurpur ferry ghat.
The 147.82-metre-long ship, with a deadweight tonnage of 13,852 tonnes, was sailing from Port Klang, Malaysia, to the Port of Kolkata when it failed to recover from a turn.
Officials cited massive river turbulence and a possible steering gear jam as causes, noting the master blew the horn to warn people on the bank.
The pilot contacted the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority, and tugs were dispatched to pull the ship free at the next high tide; the hull is undamaged.
- Who
- The Singapore-flagged container ship MV Nawata Bhum, its master and pilot, and the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority (SMPA).
- What
- The container ship struck the riverbank of the River Hooghly at Diamond Harbour after a possible steering gear failure, damaging the embankment but causing no injuries.
- When
- Wednesday (specific date not stated in the articles).
- Where
- Diamond Harbour in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, about 50 km south of Kolkata on the River Hooghly, near the Nurpur ferry ghat.
- Why
- Massive river turbulence and a possibly jammed steering gear prevented the ship from recovering from a turn at a sharp bend in the river.
- Ship name
- MV Nawata Bhum
- Flag
- Singapore
- Length
- 147.82 metres
- Deadweight tonnage
- 13,852 tonnes
- Route
- Port Klang, Malaysia to Port of Kolkata
- Incident location
- Diamond Harbour, River Hooghly, South 24 Parganas, about 50 km south of Kolkata
- Injuries
- None reported
- Next step
- Tugs to pull vessel free at next high tide; hull undamaged
