Overview
- The tug HB Perseus, which struck the anchored bulk carrier Ginga Bobcat on Sunday off central Rosario, shed several barges and took severe structural damage.
- New expert accounts published Tuesday say the 12-barge convoy cut power to allow a third vessel to pass, lost steering authority in the Paraná’s current, and drifted into the anchored ship.
- Specialists and video indicate the Ginga Bobcat was correctly anchored in the Rosario Norte roadstead and had sounded repeated horn warnings before impact.
- Authorities reported no injuries and no spills, and river traffic resumed after roughly an hour once adrift barges were secured.
- The Ginga Bobcat was also involved in a May 5 collision at Campana while carrying about 10,300 tonnes of sulfuric acid, and unions and environmental groups are now pressing for stronger crew training and oversight on the busy waterway as formal investigations proceed.