Germany: Another incident befell the Kiel Canal on 20th March when a cargo ship crashed into a floodgate as she entered the north chamber of the lock complex in Brunsbüttel, causing extensive damage that is likely to take weeks to repair. The ship involved was the 6,680gt/2008 built and Cypriot-flagged Saint George, a 131m long general cargo ship. The vessel sustained damage to her bow and the bulbous bow of the vessel is believed to have pierced completely through the gate. Brunsbüttel Lock’s “Big North Lock Chamber” is now out of use until repairs are completed. The mishap is the third such incident in recent months along the 61 mile long canal that links the North Sea at Brunsbüttel with the Baltic Sea at Kiel-Holtenau.

The Netherlands: Hurricane force winds lashed the North Sea coasts on 30th March and during this time a Maersk Line containership ran aground in the Netherlands as she approached the Antwerp area. The 49,985gt/1996 built Sealand Meteor went aground near Vlissingen and was refloated a few hours later at high tide and with the assistance of Svitzer tugs. There were no damages to the hull and no spillages. The ship had been en route from Rotterdam to Antwerp.

U.K: The 39,906gt/2007 built container ship ANL Warringa continued her journey on 29th March after being disabled in the shipping lanes 20 miles off the coast of Essex since the previous day. After experiencing engine trouble, the 4,250 TEU capacity ship dropped one anchor and lifeboats were dispatched to stand by at the scene to transfer the vessel’s 28 crew if necessary. However, engine repairs were successful and the vessel then continued her voyage from Tilbury to Hamburg.

Solent Towage’s mooring tug Asterix capsized with two crew aboard on the evening of 30th March in high winds whilst at work at Fawley on Southampton Water. One crewman swam to safety but one was missing. The ferries Red Eagle, Red Jet 4 & Red Jet 3 went to search for the missing crewman along with tugs Phenix, Lomax & Apex plus the Southampton Patrol and Calshot/Cowes Lifeboats. A refinery employee spotted the crew member still trapped in the tug’s cabin so dived in and smashed a window to free him. They were pulled clear by lifeboat crews. The capsized tug sank soon after. She is a 12m/75gt Damen built STu 1205 tug, delivered in 2013 and had been involved in the departure of the 2,335gt/2000 built chemical tanker Donizetti when the capsize occurred. Solent Towage is part of Norwegian Company Østensjø Rederi.

North America: On the morning of 1st April Meadway Shipping & Trading’s 33,044gt/2010 built bulk carrier AgiaIrini ran aground in the Delaware River, New Jersey. An onlooker managed to video the moment that the ship beached on a mud bank close to the Burlington Bristol Bridge. The ship was travelling southbound from Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania to Philadelphia and on to Florida when she lost propulsion and ran aground in mud north of the Burlington Bristol Bridge in Burlington City. There were no injuries aboard and no fuel leaked into the river as a result of the incident. The vessel was later re-floated by two tugs and towed to the Mantua Creek Anchorage port facility in Paulsboro, N.J., where she remained until an investigation was complete.