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Germany: Ships collide on the Rhine river

Davis VanOpdorp
August 19, 2020

Two ships, one of which was carrying raw gasoline, collided on the Rhine river in Germany. Authorities say a technical defect led to the crash.

https://p.dw.com/p/3hA8f
Two cargo ships on the Rhine
Image: picture-alliance/J. Tack

A tanker was allowed to continue its course by German authorities after it collided with a cargo ship on the Rhine river, police said on Tuesday.

The tanker, which was carrying 1,300 metric tons (1,433 tons) of Naphtha, or raw gasoline, drifted off course after the steering gear failed. It collided with the cargo ship, which was carrying 1,200 metric tons of seed, in Walluf, a town near the western German city of Mainz, at around 3 p.m. local time (13:00 UTC).

Both ships were damaged but none of the cargo entered the water, police said. 

Police said a technical defect caused the ship to divert. The ship was initially prohibited from continuing its journey until the cause was clarified, and an expert confirmed the ship was once again functioning properly.

Hundreds of tankers, cargo ships, passenger vessels and ferries use the Rhine river daily. Collisions and crashes have occurred in the past.

In 2012, a tanker carrying nearly 2,400 metric tons of sulfuric acid had an accident near the Lorelei cliff in St. Goarshausen. The incident killed two of the four crew members onboard, and traffic on the river had to be temporarily halted.