The towing of the stuck passenger ship on the Rhine between Hagenbach and Karlsruhe could be delayed further. A tanker got stuck on Tuesday night. Shipping was completely blocked at the point.
The cause of the accident is still unclear, said the Upper Rhine Waterways and Shipping Office. Often the skippers did not adhere to the requirements of the office to take little cargo. At least two ships hit the tanker during the night. But there was only sheet metal damage.
Shallows and low water in the Rhine
According to the experts, there are shoals in the Rhine even after the persistent flooding. The subsoil had been churned up and the gravel was now deposited in the fairway. In addition, there is low water.
Passengers disembark
As the police announced, the 90 passengers on the passenger ship have now been taken off board by the local rescue organization DLRG. Today it is also planned to free the tanker first during the day. Then the passenger ship should follow.
First rescue attempt failed
A first attempt to rescue the passenger ship on Monday was unsuccessful. The passenger cabin ship got stuck the night before. According to the Germersheim water protection police, the passenger ship that ran aground could not be towed free. Nobody got hurt.
A passenger ship and a tanker got stuck on the Rhine near Hagenbach.
SWR
Similar incident just a week ago
Only last week a tanker ran aground in the fog in the same place. The ship, loaded with heating oil, could not straighten up on its own, as the shipping office reported. Therefore, another tanker was initially necessary to partially transfer the loaded oil. A so-called “holding ship” was needed for the rescue, which prevented the stuck tanker from sinking further into the gravel bed. With his help, the stranded tanker was straightened up again.
The tanker that got stuck near Hagenbach in the Rhine on Sunday is now ready to go again. It ran aground on Sunday through fog and poor visibility.
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