On the morning of March 6, the 118 meter long, 8985 dwt tanker Bothnia (IMO: 9485356) allided on Kiel Canal in Brunsbüttel, Germany. The Bothnia struck a bridge near a refinery resulting in 15,000 euros of damage to the bridge. Authorities launched an investigation and found the incident most likely occurred when the Bothnia had left Brunsbüttel. The crew was unaware of the tanker had struck the bridge. No reports of injuries and no pollution released.
On the afternoon of March 5, the 184 meter long, 37874 dwt tanker Conga (IMO: 9412000) became disabled on the Kiel Canal near Brunbüttel, Germany. The tanker had entered the canal when it suffered main engine failure. The vessel remained in Brunbüttel for several hours until it could make repairs. The vessel was able to proceed on its voyage until it suffered another breakdown further along the canal on March 6. Authorities dispatched two tugs to take the Conga under tow and proceeded to Kiel. No reports of injuries, damage or pollution released.
Reports state authorities sent inspectors to check on the vessel. The Conga is suspected to be part of the Russian shadow fleet of tankers, but was not currently on the list sanctioned by the EU.
On March 2, the 82 meter long, 1842 dwt cargo vessel H&S Wisdom (IMO: 9195559) ran aground on the Humber estuary in northern England. The H&S Wisdom was headed for the Gunness Wharf on the River Trent when the vessel made a navigational error and ended up high and dry on the mud flats. The Humber Rescue lifeboat was called out and attempted to pull the H&S Wisdom free, but were unsuccessful.
A second attempt was made the following morning. Three tugs had arrived on scene and attempted to pull the H&S Wisdom free, but they were also unsuccessful. A third attempt was made later that evening with the rising tide and it also ended in failure. Local authorities state the cargo vessel is firmly “stuck in the mud” and the vessel might be stuck there until the maximum spring tides in April.
The H&S Wisdom was designed to navigate shallow water with a draught of just 11 feet. However, an aerial inspection found the vessel is quite a distance away from water deep enough to allow it to be refloated. Authorities did state there were no injuries and no pollution has been released.