Rescue operation on the Moselle: Focus on the tired SchuSen after ship's accident!

A serious accident paralyzed the Moselle region: On Sunday, December 8, 2024, a goods motor ship with 1,500 tons of scrap collected into the closed tentor of the Müden lock. The ship was on the way to Mertert in Luxembourg when it was unexpectedly and unchecked onto the goal, which was not released for the passage at that time. The collision caused both gate wings of the lock from the anchorage and heavily deformed, which led to massive damage to the lock and an immediate blocking, such as wsa-osel-saar-lahn.

The repair work has already started: the two damaged gate wings were raised from the water with a special crane, which is seen as a "first milestone", the head of the waterway and shipping office (WSA) Mosel-Saar-Lahn, Albert Schöpflin, told the dpa. The work to drain the lock area should follow so that the damage can be examined more closely. Until the lock is back in operation, the experts expect a blocking period until at least at the end of March 2025, which significantly impaired shipping on the Moselle, as around 70 ships are stuck in the region. This situation ensures that the ships cannot get to the important route towards the Rhine, which could put a strain on the care routes.

But the authorities have already initiated measures to quickly defuse the situation. A replacement system is being worked on to lock the affected ships via the damaged lock, since there is no alternative so far. Should everything go according to plan, the first smuggings could begin in the next few days, whereby the normal lead time from 20 minutes could extend to up to six to eight hours, such as fr.de . In order to bring the ships through the lock before the end of the year, the work of top urgency is shaped.