Video: German Authorities Respond to Inland Vessel Wedged Under a Bridge
The fire department in the western city of Neuss, Germany, near Düsseldorf, responded to a callout on Tuesday morning, March 24, that said an inland cargo ship had become wedged under one of the city’s bridges. Arriving at the scene, the first responders confirmed the report, finding the vessel stuck after several containers had gone overboard and others were teetering.
The unidentified vessel was sailing on the Rhine River transporting containers and had several cars aboard. It struck one of the railway bridges crossing the river and became wedged under the span.
The Neuss Fire Department reports it found two containers in the river and several more while still aboard the vessel that had been displaced. There were no injuries, but both the river and bridge were closed during the rescue operation.
A crane boat was brought in from Düsseldorf, and the fire department reports it was determined that the best way to address the situation was to raise the lift portion of the bridge. However, as the lift mechanism was activated and the roadbed began to rise, two additional containers fell into the river. The fire department called it a controlled event. The crane boat was used to recover the containers from the river, and the vessel was repositioned. The containers were empties.
The salvage operation took about six hours to complete.
It was not the first time the fire department had to manage a vessel – bridge allision. In September 2024, a 110-meter (361-foot) inland containership hit a bridge on the Rhine River. It said that due to the impact, the vessel had begun taking on water after several welds in the double hull ruptured. The fire department had to shovel some of the rubble cargo to reach the leaks so that they could be plugged. The vessel had to be towed away.
Two Bulkers Collide on Mississippi Near New Orleans
Two vessels have collided and remain stuck together just up the Mississippi River from New Orleans, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
On the afternoon of March 23, the freighter Pac Dubhe was downbound on the Mississippi, headed for Panama. The geared bulker African Buzzard was headed upriver. At about 1550 hours local time, as they passed the town of Hahnville, Louisiana, the two vessels collided. African Buzzard's anchor embedded in the bow of the Pac Dubhe, the Coast Guard said, leaving the two vessels entangled. The African Buzzard then drifted out of the channel and went aground.
No injuries or pollution were reported, and a speed restriction is in place for the area of the collision at mile marker 124. AIS data shows multiple tugs located in the vicinity of the casualty.
The NTSB and the Coast Guard have launched a joint investigation into the cause of the casualty.
River Cruise Ship Hits Amsterdam Bridge After Failing to Lower Wheelhouse
The officer piloting a large river cruise ship from Amsterdam and into the Rhine River canal sustained minor injuries as the vessel struck a well-known road bridge spanning the canal. The Dutch authorities were reporting that the ship sustained significant damage and would be unable to continue to sail.
Built in 2022, the river cruise ship A-Rosa Sena is registered in Switzerland and operated by a German tour company. The ship, which is 135 meters (443 feet) in length, offers luxury river cruises for up to 280 passengers. It has five decks, and at the front of deck 5 is a hydraulically retractable, glass-enclosed wheelhouse. It is a typical feature on European river cruise ships to deal with low clearances.
The ship had departed Amsterdam on March 25 and, at approximately 9:30 p.m. local time, was approaching the Amsterdamsebrug bridge, a well-known structure that has been in operation since 1957. Media reports are that the bridge has a clearance of at least 9.5 meters (31 feet).
It is unclear exactly what happened, but the wheelhouse was still in the raised position, and it struck the underside of the span of the bridge and was crushed. One passenger told the Dutch media the helmsman “wasn’t paying attention.”
The cruise ship continued forward, bending over a radar mast at the stern before it hit the side wall of the canal. Passengers reported feeling a “thump” as the vessel came to a stop.
The local police and an ambulance responded. The helmsman was being treated by the ambulance for minor injuries. None of the passengers were injured. Rescue workers said their task was slowed because many passengers had already gone to sleep.
Passengers were awakened and told to pack their belongings. By 8:00 a.m., media reported the last of the passengers had been disembarked and they were being bused to Cologne, Germany.
The cruise ship had been scheduled to proceed to Utrecht. It was due to reach Cologne on Sunday, where the passengers would be disembarking before a new cruise to Hamburg.
Police temporarily closed the bridge after reports that a piece of steel had fallen during the allision with the cruise ship. The bridge was inspected and reopened to traffic around 3:00 a.m., but as of Thursday morning, the canal remained partially closed. The reports were that the cruise ship was going to be towed back into Amsterdam.
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