On September 11, the 56 meter long ferry St. Johannes allided with lock to the Kiel Canal at Brunsbüttel, Germany. The ferry had entered the old lock at Brunsbüttel when it struck a railing damaging some 5 meters of its length. The St. Johannes was undamaged and there were no injuries.
On April 21, the 175 meter long, 27348 dwt bulk carrier Rauli N allided with the large southern lock of the Kiel Canal at Brunsbüttel, Germany. The Rauli N was headed for Bremen when its port stern struck the side of the lock wall. The vessel hit with enough force to cause part of the masonry to collapse and fall into the lock. The Rauli N sustained hull damage including several large dents and a hull breach above the waterline. The water police allowed the Rauli N to continue on to Bremen where investigations into the incident will continued. Traffic on the lock was halted until response team can arrive on scene and begin repair work.
The 108 meter long, 6232 dwt tanker Northsea Rational ran aground on the Kiel Canal near Horsten, Germany. The Northsea Rational had suffered a malfunction and became disabled. Unable to control steering, the vessel ran up on the northern bank of the canal. The vessel requested assistance with the tug Holtenau dispatched to the scene. The Holtenau pulled the Northsea Rational free and took it under tow. No reports of injuries or pollution released.