Ship accident on the Moselle: Schleusentor badly damaged!

Ship accident on the Moselle: Schleusentor badly damaged!

In a dramatic incident on Sunday, December 8, 2024, the lock gate near Müden on the Moselle was rammed and significantly damaged. The Wasserstraßen- und Seilfahrtsamt (WSA) Mosel-Saar-Lahn announced that the Moselle will probably remain closed to shipping by the end of March 2025. In the accident, the two gate wings were completely torn out of their anchoring, which requires a complete replacement of the lock parts. This incident means that around 70 ships are currently unable to drive towards the Rhine because they get stuck in the water.

As reported by the Koblenz water protection police, the Müden lock reported the incident at around 1:19 p.m. The ship, which was loaded with scrap, tried to enter the lock chamber when it collided with the goal that was not yet completely open. Although the ship was damaged on the bow, no water penetrated inside. However, hydraulic fluids came into the Moselle, but this could immediately be contained by the fire brigade. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but the investigation into the cause of the accident is underway, as in the article by Lokalo.de

shipping traffic interrupted

The consequences of this incident are significant: the blocking of the Moselle represents a massive impairment for shipping. The water protection police and the WSA work on eliminating the damage, but experts estimate that reopening the waterway by spring 2025 is not likely. The background to the incident is a miscalculation when entering the freighter, which created a critical situation that had to be remedied quickly and effectively. These dramatic developments throw a light on the challenges of shipping in the region, which has already been discussed by the reporting of Tagesschau.de