Container ship towed free on its way to Bremerhaven | NDR.de – News – Lower Saxony

Two large and six smaller tugboats were needed to free the container giant from its stuck position during the second recovery attempt. According to the Havariekommandos Cuxhaven, the flooding, which ran up a little higher than usual around midnight, also helped. Nobody was injured during the salvage and the ship was not damaged. In addition to the CCME, a salvage company commissioned by the shipping company was also involved in the operation. The “Mumbai Maersk” is scheduled to arrive in Bremerhaven at noon, where the cargo is to be unloaded.

“Mumbai Maersk” got stuck next to the fairway

The “Mumbai Maersk”, sailing under the Danish flag, got stuck on the way from Rotterdam to Bremerhaven around 11 p.m. on Wednesday evening when heading for the Weser estuary. According to the position data, the ship had previously made a turn. Such a maneuver is not unusual, a spokesman for the Havariekommando told the NDR in Lower Saxony. It could be that there was no free berth in Bremerhaven and the ship therefore had to wait. The “Mumbai Maersk” then got stuck in the sand next to the fairway about six kilometers off the East Frisian island of Wangerooge. The CCME then sent several tugboats to the scene of the accident. However, a first attempt to salvage the “Mumbai Maersk” early Thursday morning failed – also because the towing capacity was not sufficient for the container giant.

Rudder damage could be the cause

It is still unclear how the accident could have happened. The water police are investigating. The pilot was said to have been on board when the “Mumbai Maersk” suddenly went in a circle and then got out of control. According to information from the NDR in Lower Saxony, there are many indications of rudder damage. The 399 meter long and 59 meter wide freighter can load around 20,000 containers and carries goods from Asia on board. According to the CCME, the freighter has not lost any containers at sea, and no hazardous substances have escaped.

Environment Minister Lies sees the federal government as having an obligation

Meanwhile, politicians and environmental organizations are sounding the alarm. “Our Wadden Sea is an extremely sensitive and particularly valuable natural area,” said Lower Saxony’s Environment Minister Olaf Lies (SPD). The accident shows “that we have to constantly work on improving the protection of our coasts against accidents caused by harmful substances”. Lies accused the federal government of slowing down the discussion about more safety in shipping traffic off the coast. In the event of a storm, large ships should take routes further from the coast, the minister demanded. The former Lower Saxony Environment Minister Stefan Wenzel (Greens) criticized the laws as no longer up to date. “The accident is another example of the extremely dangerous risks posed by the unabated record hunt of the giant ships,” said Wenzel, a former member of the state parliament who now represents his Cuxhaven constituency in the Bundestag.

NABU: relocate the main shipping route

The nature conservation association NABU called for political action to be better prepared against ship accidents. The unique Wadden Sea and its associated islands must be protected from lost cargo and pollutants, said Lower Saxony state chairman Holger Buschmann. NABU supports the demand of many islanders and coastal communities to move the main shipping route off the East Frisian coast to the north. The federal government must request this from the International Maritime Organization in London, explained Buschmann. “It’s no use constantly lamenting that such a push can take a long time – if you never start it, you will wait endlessly and achieve nothing.”

Mayor Fangohr wants deep-sea tugs on site

Wangerooges Mayor Marcel Fangohr (non-party) demands that a new deep-sea tugboat be stationed. This would have to be powerful enough to free ships as quickly as possible. On the other hand, Councilor Peter Cake Book-Hanken (Greens) has already run out of patience. There have been too many accidents in recent years. Freight from the “MSC Zoe”, which crashed three years ago, is still washed up today.

Further information

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