The 80 meter long self-propelled  barge Nawatrans VI sprung a leak on the Ems River near Gandersum, Germany. The barge’s crew detected water ingress in the cargo hold with its toxic cargo of lead concentrate.  The crew alerted the fire brigade from Papenburg who quickly responded to the scene.  Divers inspected the hull and found a crack in the hull, but welding attempts failed to patch the hull. Tanker trucks were requested to contain the polluted water from the cargo hold and the cargo of lead will be transferred to another vessel. Reports state the Nawatrans VI had earlier struck a buoy just outside Gandersum and the vessel had gone perpendicular to the river.  The water police has launched an investigation into the incident.