On the afternoon of July 25, the 85 meter long self-propelled barge Kepejora (MMSI: 244668436) sank on the Sambre River near the Auvelais lock at Sambreville, Belgium. The Kepejora was scheduled for a voyage to Ghent from Châtelet when it sustained hull damage while loading a cargo of 1400 tons of scrap metal. The crew had not discovered the damage until the Kepejora was found taking on water.

The vessel’s pumps could not stop the flooding and the crew requested assistance. The local fire brigade responded to scene with dewatering pumps. Unfortunately, the Kepejora‘s hull had been holed and the cargo of scrap metal needed to be lightered.  Due to the limited space at the quay, there was no way to unload the cargo before the vessel sank a few hours later.

Authorities have placed pollution barriers around the Kepejora to contain any oil pollution released. Divers were requested to make temporary repairs so that the vessel could be dewatered.