MSC Silvana VIII sinks deeper off Zhoushan as refloating fails

The container ship MSC Silvana VIII is in serious trouble off Zhoushan, China. Refloating attempts have failed, and the 332-metre ship has now sunk deeper into the water, with its stern largely below the surface.

She is 20 years old and carries 8,401 TEUs. She sailed into Zhoushan's busy ship repair area on 22 June after a voyage from Gwangyang, South Korea. The plan was routine maintenance. What followed was not.

When Typhoon Bavi tore through Zhejiang province in mid-July, the ship grounded. Salvors moved in quickly, but multiple efforts to refloat her have come to nothing. The engine room is now flooded, and several cargo holds have taken on water.

Around 3,000 tonnes of bunker fuel have been pumped out in an effort to lighten the ship and reduce any environmental risk. Salvors were still assessing their next steps when reports of a fresh inbound typhoon emerged, putting further pressure on an already complex operation.

What caused the grounding in the first place, and the full scale of structural damage below the waterline, have not yet been confirmed officially. Local media footage circulating online shows much of the ship now sitting below the surface at the stern.

MarineRadar users started tracking MSC Silvana VIII in the past 24 hours as the situation worsened, making it one of the platform's newest breakout ships this week.