Video: 8,401-TEU Container Ship Sinks Off Zhoushan After Salvage Efforts Fail

The 8,401-TEU container ship MSC Silvana VIII has sunk deeper into the water off Zhoushan, China, after efforts to refloat the vessel failed.

Local media images show much of the 332-metre ship now underwater. The 20-year-old vessel is also facing another weather threat, with an inbound typhoon expected to make the salvage operation more difficult.

Several cargo holds and the engine room have flooded, while salvage teams have removed about 3,000 tonnes of fuel from the ship.

MSC has not made a public statement about the incident. The reason for the grounding, the extent of damage to the ship and what will happen next in the salvage operation remain unclear.

Grounding of MSC Silvana VIII 

The MSC Silvana VIII arrived in Zhoushan on June 22 after coming from Gwangyang, South Korea. It entered the ship repair area on the west side of the Guojiayou Island shipyard district for repairs.

The vessel later ran into trouble when Typhoon Bavi hit Zhejiang in July.

AIS data shows that the ship left the dock during the typhoon and ended up on the other side of the channel, near Daishan. Its AIS signal stopped transmitting after that.

Scaffolding can be seen around the foremast and bridge, suggesting that repair work was taking place when the vessel encountered problems.

Chart data from Pole Star suggests the ship may have touched the seabed twice. It may have first hit a marked rock off Daishan on July 11 and then touched another marked outcrop near the western end of Dazhyu Island on July 12.

MSC Silvana VIII has sunk deeper into the water off Zhoushan, China after running aground and failed salvage attempts (TT lelei8064) pic.twitter.com/HPpunmtnVh

— Bart (@BartGonnissen) August 9, 2026

Refloating attempts fail

Efforts to refloat the ship later failed. Its stern then sank further into the water, while several cargo holds and the engine room flooded.

About 3,000 tonnes of fuel have been removed from the vessel during the salvage operation.

The ship is now in an area where the seabed drops sharply into a deep channel. Water depths there reach about 40 to 50 metres, meaning the vessel could potentially slip completely below the surface.

The extent of any structural damage has not been made public.

Fuel leak reported

Satellite images showed that the MSC Silvana VIII was still leaking fuel oil as recently as Aug. 7.

An oil slick stretched several miles south of the vessel. Heavy waves and strong winds from the typhoon are likely to disperse the slick.

Salvage teams continue working on the partially submerged vessel.

References: tzp, aajs