On November 22, the 34 meter long towboat Mercur 308 with its six barges loaded with 1000 tons of wheat allided with the Türr István Bridge on the Danube River near Baja, Hungry. The Mercur 308 sank along with one barge while the other barges broke free. Local fire brigade responded and rescued all the crew. No reports of injuries. Authorities stopped traffic on the Danube around the incident during salvage operations. The cause of the allision had not been reported.
The 186 meter long towboat/barge Barbara Blomberg with another barge loaded with 2758 tons of sunflower seed ran around on the Danube near Osterhofen, Deggendorf, Germany. The vessels were headed to Amsterdam from Slovakia when strong currents pulled the Barbara Blomberg onto the embankment. No reports of injuries to the six crew, damage or pollution released. Traffic was halted on the river around the vessel. Reports state the barge will be lightered before it can be refloated.
On October 9, the 78 meter long self-propelled barge Boom ran aground on the Danube near Niederalteich, Germany. The Boom had stranded with 750 tons of steel plates and partially blocked the navigation channel. Authorities reported that the Boom had been overloaded which resulted in the grounding. With vessels over 130 meters were unable to pass the grounded barge, a traffic jam developed with over 20 vessels queued. Reports state the Boom will be lightered before it can be refloated. No reports of injuries. Authorities have launched an investigation into the overloading of the barge.
