On the early morning of November 18, the 100 meter long, 4451 dwt cargo vessel Wilson Caen (IMO: 9173290) allided on the Elbe River with the mole at the entrance to the Brunsbüttel lock. The Wilson Caen loaded with 2,824 tons of Abfällen from Napoli, Italy bound for Loviisa, Finland.  As the vessel approached the lock, the rudder failed and the Wilson Caen struck the bank fortification.  The cargo vessel sustained a visible large scrape (about 11 meters in length) while a dolphin was smashed in front of the mole. There was no reports of injuries or pollution released.

Authorities detained the Wilson Caen at Brunsbüttel until it could be inspected for seaworthiness. The incident is under investigation.

This isn’t the first incident with the Wilson Caen. The vessel allided in 2012 after engine failure.