Hard Day for Bridges over the Danube
July 21, 2011 was a hard day for multiple bridges that cross over the Danube River. In the morning, the 110 meter long passenger ship Serenity with 170 passengers struck the Luitpold Bridge at Passau, Germany. The suspension bridge was damaged with power lines being pulled down as the vessel pushed forward. An initial investigation revealed that a crewman had misread the water level of the river as being lower than it actually was. This lead the master of the Serenity to believe that his vessel could proceed safely under the bridge. However, authorities have questions to why the vessel proceeded to continue after it first struck the bridge instead of stopping. No reports of injuries, but damage is reported at 100,000 euros.
Later the afternoon, the inland freighter Jane struck a railroad bridge near Bogen, Germany. The master of the Jane had misjudged the clearance and struck the bridge with full force. The freighter lost the radar system on the bow and the roof of the bridge was torn completely off. The Jane’s funnel and exhaust system was also damaged. However, the master with his wife and three children were unharmed. The Jane loaded with a wind power plant bound from Regensburg to Bulgaria. Reports state the damage amounts to 30,000 euros.
