A ship that was transporting refined petroleum products to the Shell facility at Rockfort in East Kingston slammed into the pier nearly a week ago, severely damaging a section of the wharf as well as pipes that transport fuels and chemicals from ships to the plant.

Neither senior Shell officials nor spokesmen for the ship’s agent, Grace, Kennedy and Company were available for comment yesterday, but other sources estimated the cost of the damage of upwards of $75 million.

No one was injured in the accident although Observer sources said that it caused “a major fright”.

The vessel, the MZ Ficus, has been anchored in the Kingston harbour since the accident occurred on December 21.

Observer sources said that the accident occurred at about 6:00 pm while the ship was apparently positioning to off-load its cargo.

It wasn’t immediately clear if a local marine pilot was onboard the vessel at the time of the accident, although the sources indicated that one had in fact taken the ship into harbour as is required by law.

Hortense Ross, the superintendent of pilotage at the Port Authority of Jamaica was not available for comment and others at the Harbour Master’s office declined to comment.

“The matter is being investigated by the Port Authority,” said an official.

It is not the first time that a private wharf on the industrial strip at the eastern end of the Kingston harbour has been damaged by an incoming ship in recent years.

Just over a year ago the Caribbean Cement Company’s coal pier was damaged by a vessel being piloted in to dock with products for the company.

In that incident the Port Authority apparently accepted liability and paid for the damages.

While this was not apparently the case in this latest incident, the Port Authority have in the past expressed its concern of ship captains refusing to allow pilots to take charge of their vessels coming into Kingston Harbour, sometimes to their detriment.