On the afternoon of July 22, the 105 meter long self-propelled passenger ship Rigoletto (MMSI: 244670415) allided on the IJsselmeer at Kornwernerzand, Netherlands. The Rigoletto was headed to Harlingen from Stavoren when it approached the locks at Kornwernerzand. As the passenger ship reached the lock, it struck the lock gates. The bow sustained only slight damage and there were no report of injuries. Authorities allowed the Rigoletto to proceed on its journey, but the locks were closed to traffic for several hours until inspections could be completed.
On the evening July 18, a cargo vessel allided with a moored self-propelled barge on the Rhine near Friemersheim, Germany. The cargo vessel struck the stern and tore a meter gash above the waterline into the hull of the barge. No one was injured in the incident. The water police has launched an investigation. The self-propelled barge was allowed to proceed to a shipyard for repairs. The cargo vessel was allowed to proceed on its journey on the Rhine.
On the afternoon of July 19, the 18 meter long, 29 gt passenger ship MF Axel (MMSI: 265632000) ran aground in the Baltic Sea in the Karlskrona archipelago off Ramsö, Sweden. The MF Axel was proceeding with 87 passengers when it grounded in shallow water in the narrow Sjuhallasundet Strait. The passenger ship remained firmly aground on the sandy bottom just 100 meters from the shore and was unable to free itself. The Swedish Coast Guard and Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS) was called out to assist and arrived a short time later. Rescuers began an evacuation of all the passengers off the MF Axel. During the evacuation, the MF Axel was lightened enough it floated free. However, not until all passengers were transferred off the passenger ship, the MF Axel was allowed to proceed under its own power back to Karlskrona. There were no reports of injuries, damage or pollution released.
Photo: aftonbladet.se
Photo: bonniernews.se
Photo: bonniernews.se
Photo: svt.se
Photo: bonniernews.se
Authorities launched an investigation into the incident. The Coast Guard questioned the crew and checks for alcohol were negative. An initial report stated the incident was at no fault of the vessel or the crew. The iron hulled MF Axel was built in 1934 and operates between Fisktorget in Karlskrona and Nättraby.
