Gustav Maersk aground in the Strait of Messina, Italy, January 10, 2017. Photo credit: Italian Coast Guard
A 366-meter-long Maersk Line containership ran aground early Tuesday while transiting the Strait of Messina in Southern Italy.
The Italian Coast Guard confirmed the Denmark-flagged MV Gustav Maersk ran aground overnight near the town of Torre Cavallo.
AIS shows the track of the Maersk Gustav. Credit. MarineTraffic.com
The grounding occurred as Gustav Maersk was sailing from Rijeka, Croatia for Gioia Tauro, Italy, according to Maersk’s website.
An inspection of vessel showed no sign that the hull had been breached, the Coast Guard said. No pollution has been observed in the area.
The vessel was eventually pulled free with the assistance of three tugs from nearby ports of Messina and Milazzo. It was later escorted the ship to the port of Gioia Tauro, located just to the north.
The video below shows a tug pulling the Gustav Maersk free:
The Coast Guard said that prior to the grounding, the ship was contacted by the Vessel Traffic Service in Messina.
The cause of grounding is currently under investigation.
AIS shows the Gustav Maersk alongside in Gioia Tauro as of 11 a.m. EST.
Photo: Italian Coast Guard
A spokesman for Maersk Line provided us with the following statement regarding the incident:
On Tuesday 10 January at 02.43 AM local time, our container vessel Gustav Maersk grounded in the Messina Strait, Italy, 2017. Assisted by three tugs the vessel was successfully refloated at 7.30 AM local time and proceeded by own power to Gioia Tauro. All crew is safe and accounted for and no pollution was reported. The vessel was en route from Rijeka, Croatia, to Gioia Tauro, Italy. In Gioia Taura the damage to the vessel will be assessed and potential contingency plans for the cargo be carried out.
We have initiated an investigation of the incident. Initial findings do not indicate that any technical failure caused the incident. We will await the investigation before making any final conclusions.
Sellers of Iranian oil to China are offering deeper discounts this month as they look to reduce inventories and as independent refiners slow their buying due to a jump in crude prices, traders and analysts said.
The firm building what will become the largest port in India plans to raise as much as 300 billion rupees ($3.5 billion) of debt, giving lenders an opportunity to invest in one of the cornerstones of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s infrastructure overhaul.
China’s largest shipping company is among the firms in talks to invest in a multinational consortium seeking to buy billionaire Li Ka-shing’s global ports, according to people familiar with the matter, in an effort to ease Beijing’s concerns over the controversial deal.
June 18, 2025
Total Views: 2344
Get The Industry’s Go-To News
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
— just like 109,351 professionals
Secure Your Spot
on the gCaptain Crew
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
— trusted by our 109,351 members
Your Gateway to the Maritime World!
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.