On the afternoon of February 18, the 86 meter long self-propelled container barge Levante (MMSI: 244700816) allided on the Meuse River near Lith, Netherlands. The Levante was on a voyage from Nifrik to Rotterdam when it struck the lock gates on the larger lock at Lith. Reports state the lock gates were seriously damage and the lock was taken out of service to be assessed. No details were provided to the extent of damage on the Levante.
No reports of injuries or pollution released. Authorities state that the smaller lock is still open to traffic but limited to vessels under 114 meters long and 7 meters in height. The cause of the allision has not been disclosed.
On the morning of October 12, the 67 meter long self-propelled barge Humadivi (MMSI: 205419480) sank on the Meuse off Borgharen, Belgium. The Humadivi had departed from Bosscherveld with a cargo of white sand when it run into issues on the Meuse. The barge was caught by strong currents and was pulled into an open gate on the Borgharen weir. The stern of the Humadivi became wedge in the opening allowing the river to quickly flood into the vessel’s holds and later sinking the barge. The two crew on board were safely rescued and were unharmed.
Photo: swzmaritime.nl
An initial salvage with towlines was attempted, but it failed to budge the Humadivi from the bottom. Another attempt dredged around the barge, removed the cargo hatches and lightered the remaining cargo of sand, but the Humadivi could not be lifted. Several days later additional pumps and a winch cable system were able to free the vessel from the weir. The Humadivi was pulled away where it was towed to Beatrixhaven. There the vessel was completely pumped free of water so a crane could lift and place it atop another barge so it can be taken to a shipyard for repairs. Reports state most of the cargo of white sand had been washed away during the incident.
An inspection of the weir found it sustained little to no damage and the opening was closed allowing the water level to rise on the Meuse. Reports state vessel traffic could be resumed on October 19.
