Five German school children sustained minor injuries in the collision between the 'Storebaelt' and the dredger 'Prins 3' (IMO: 7018501), en route from Eemshaven with three crew members on board, near the Pollendam, a dam of approximately three kilometers length northwest of Harlingen.on Sep 14, 2025, at 9.30 p.m., amid stormy weather conditions with bad visibility. 26 school children and five supervisors from Potsdam were on board the sailing vessel. The KNRM responded with two lifeboats. Ten children were taken to the KNRM boathouse in Harlingen, where they were checked by paramedics. A few were shocked, and some had bumps on their heads. The cause of the collision was not yet known. The bowsprit of the 'Storebaelt' was broken. The damaged sailing ship was towed to the port of Harlingen by the 'Hurricane' of the Noordgat shipping company, which also brought the uninjured children ashore. The municipality provided accommodation in a hotel. The dredger was able to reach the port of Harlingen under its own power despite some bow damage. Reports with photos: https://nos.nl/artikel/2582498-vijf-kinderen-lichtgewond-bij-aanvaring-met-vrachtschip-voor-de-kust-bij-harlingen https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/09/15/kinderen-gewond-door-aanvaring-vrachtschip-en-zeilcharter-storebaelt-op-waddenzee/ https://lc.nl/friesland/harlingen/aanvaring-op-wad-knrm-haalt-vijf-kinderen-van-boord-charterschip-47274534.html
News
RIGHTWHALE
A video recorded by the camera of the 'Right Whale' captured the moment of the collsion with the 'Tafra 3'. The bow of the Lithuanian-owned, Russian-captained pelagic trawler hit fishing vessel while it was hauling its gear, dragging it for nearly two minutes. The rapidity of the incident gives the impression that it was underway, not trawling. Several members of the factory ship's crew can be seen emerging onto the deck one by one, presumably alerted by the roar of the impact, which opened a huge gap in the starboard side of the 'Tafra 3', the rigging slats of which can be seen on the stern,, which would have limited the Mauritanian trawler's maneuverability. At least two crew members who were stationed there, performing the gear-harnessing maneuver, struggled to escape and were climbing into the nets, trying to seek refuge. The impact, according to the video, occurred at 8:04:05 p.m., and the ships seperated again at 8:06:15 p.m. The 'Tafra 3', whose Galician partner is Genaro Martínez, from the Vigo-based company Baipesca, sunk rapidly stern first. Although the causes of the accident were still to be determined by the Mauritanian authorities, the Russian captain of the 'Right Whale' was arrested after giving a statement to the police. The skipper of the 'Tafra 3', Javier Gestido, a resident of Ardán (Marín), returned to the hotel where the survivors were staying, after giving his version of events. Under the guidance of consular services, the shipowners were preparing the repatriation of the crew. One of the two skippers was scheduled to fly to the Canary Islands today to head to Galicia. The other will remain in the African country for a few more days. Report with photo: https://maritime-executive.com/article/five-missing-in-catastrophic-trawler-collision-off-mauritania
MECHANIC STEPANOV
The 'Mechanic Stepanov', enroute from the Russian port of St. Petersburg to Malokurilskoye with an ETA as of Oct 13, suffered a power failure and was anchored in Danish waters south of Amager on the evening of Sep 13, 2025. A NATO warship sailing under the British flag, a Danish military vessel and a Swedish police vessel were deployed to the area on the afternoon of Sep 14. The Swedish Coast Guard was supposed to handle the situation as the power failure had occurred in the Kattegat in Swedish waters, before the vessel ended up in Danish waters. In the meantime, the 'Mechanic Stepanov' drifted across three undersea data and communication cables running between Denmark and Sweden. The Danish Defence was monitoring the movements of the Russian ship, which heaved anchor again on the afternoon. The 'Mechanic Stepanov' was just completed at the Otradnoye Shipyard on the Neva River, and it received its RS class certification on Sep 4. No problems were identified in inspections and sea trials, and the vessel was cleared to depart for the voyage to its home port in the Kuril Islands. The crab vessel transited westbound through the Baltic Sea and then suffered a blackout due to a mechanical casualty. The ship was adrift in a busy shipping lane at the entrance to the Øresund for an extended period before going to anchor. Report with photo: https://www.soefart.dk/article/view/1183352/russisk_skib_sejler_igen_efter_problemer_i_dansk_farvand
TAFRA 3
A video recorded by the camera of the 'Right Whale' captured the moment of the collsion with the 'Tafra 3'. The bow of the Lithuanian-owned, Russian-captained pelagic trawler hit fishing vessel while it was hauling its gear, dragging it for nearly two minutes. The rapidity of the incident gives the impression that it was underway, not trawling. Several members of the factory ship's crew can be seen emerging onto the deck one by one, presumably alerted by the roar of the impact, which opened a huge gap in the starboard side of the 'Tafra 3', the rigging slats of which can be seen on the stern,, which would have limited the Mauritanian trawler's maneuverability. At least two crew members who were stationed there, performing the gear-harnessing maneuver, struggled to escape and were climbing into the nets, trying to seek refuge. The impact, according to the video, occurred at 8:04:05 p.m., and the ships seperated again at 8:06:15 p.m. The 'Tafra 3', whose Galician partner is Genaro Martínez, from the Vigo-based company Baipesca, sunk rapidly stern first. Although the causes of the accident were still to be determined by the Mauritanian authorities, the Russian captain of the 'Right Whale' was arrested after giving a statement to the police. The skipper of the 'Tafra 3', Javier Gestido, a resident of Ardán (Marín), returned to the hotel where the survivors were staying, after giving his version of events. Under the guidance of consular services, the shipowners were preparing the repatriation of the crew. One of the two skippers was scheduled to fly to the Canary Islands today to head to Galicia. The other will remain in the African country for a few more days. Report with photo: https://maritime-executive.com/article/five-missing-in-catastrophic-trawler-collision-off-mauritania
Rotterdam
At a company in the Eemhaven Way in Heijplaat, Rotterdam, a stack of shipping containers was blown over and fell onto the public road due to strong winds on the afternoon of Sep 15, 2025. Four cars were trapped under the containers. There were no casualties. The fire department responded to recover the containers. The area has been cordoned off due to the risk of more containers being blown over. The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) issued a code yellow warning for the entire Dutch coastal area due to strong wind gusts. Report with photo: https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/09/15/geparkeerde-autos-in-waalhaven-verdwijnen-onder-omwaaiende-stapel-zeecontainers/