PUBLISHED ONAugust 13, 2026 4:03 AMUPDATEDAugust 13, 2026 8:31 AMBYSean LerA Singapore-registered container ship, Nawata Bhum, struck a river embankment along the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India, while en route to Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, on Wednesday (Aug 12).
Videos of the incident posted on social media show the container-laden ship heading directly towards the riverbank. The ship does not appear to slow down or alter course before the collision.
The ship's horn can be heard sounding repeatedly as it approaches the riverbank. Moments later, the ship's bow becomes lodged in the embankment.
Based on the footage reviewed by AsiaOne, there were no other vessels in the ship's immediate path at the time of the incident.
The road running alongside the embankment also appeared deserted, with no visible damage from the collision apart from affected vegetation.
@asiaone MV Nawata Bhum, a 148m-long Singapore-flagged vessel, purportedly suffered a steering issue while underway to Kolkata, India, from Port Klang in Malaysia on Wednesday (Aug 12). #news #India #Singapore #Ship #Shipping ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
Checks by AsiaOne on vessel-tracking platform MarineTraffic showed the vessel making a right turn north of Latpatia at around 10.26am (India time).
Its declared next port of call was Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, formerly known as Kolkata Port.
Over the next 40 minutes, the ship continued to sail on a relatively steady course before crashing into the embankment near Diamond Harbour, where it remained aground until about 10.30pm, when tugboats pulled it free.
As of 10.20am on Thursday, two tugboats remain attached to the container ship off Diamond Harbour.
Its navigational status was listed as "at anchor", according to the ship's automatic identification system (AIS).
Local media reported that the ship lost steerage after its steering system purportedly became jammed.
In response to AsiaOne’s queries, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said there were no reported injuries among the 22 crew on board the ship after it ran aground.
The authority confirmed that the ship has since been refloated, is stable, and is now at anchor, adding that no pollution has been reported.
MPA said that it will investigate the incident.
As the ship’s flag-state authority, MPA has responsibilities under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
After container ship Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, USA, on March 26, 2024, MPA conducted an investigation to determine if there had been any infringements of statutory requirements under the Merchant Shipping Act.
AsiaOne has approached the Ministry of Transport's Transport Safety Investigation Bureau to ask if it will be conducting an independent marine safety investigation to identify lessons that could help prevent similar occurrences.
Separately, AsiaOne has contacted the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority for an update on the status of the ship's crew and the extent of damage to the ship, including whether it is fit to continue on its voyage to Kolkata.
AsiaOne has also reached out to the Singapore office of Regional Container Lines (RCL) Group, the Thailand-based shipping company linked to the vessel, for information on the crew's welfare and the ship's condition.
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