On the afternoon of Aug 10, 2025 the 'Neuland' was mobilized as a replacement for a ferry, aboard which a medical emergency had occurred on the Elbe shortly before the departure from the Hadag pier in Finkenwerder to the Landungsbrücken (landing bridges) in Hamburg. Paramedics from the nearby Fire Station 35 came on board. The captain ordered the ferry to be evacuated. The rescue helicopter "Christoph 29" hovered over the pier, and the affected woman was subsequently flown to a hospital. The passengers continued their voyage on the "Neuland", but at the Bubendey-shore, all passengers had to disembark due to technical problems. The stricken "Neuland" continued without passengers for investigations and subsequent repairs at the Hadag pontoon near the fish auction hall.
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NORDERGRUENDE
On Aug 13, 2025, the 'Nordergründe' assisted after the 22-m-sailing vessel 'Mathilde' (built 1914) caught fire in the middle of the parade at the "Sail Bremerhaven" tall ships meeting. Emergency services extinguished the flames as the sailing ship left the formation. Two people were slightly injured in the incident. After receiving initial treatment from emergency personnel, who were also trained paramedics, they were brought ashore in a boat of the German Lifesaving Society (DLRG) and handed over to the emergency services. The fire broke out in the engine room of the cargo sailing ship. The "Nordergründe" was in close proximity to the "Matilde"at that time and therefore intervened quickly. The fire department had prepared for emergencies and stationed a ship firefighting unit on the buoy tender The 'Mathilde' left the formation of around 100 ships and was escorted to the port. Batteries inside the ship were said to have caught fire. Report with photo: https://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/133092/6096273
ALVEI
On Aug 9, 2024, at around 3:30 p.m., the "Alvei" allided with the quay wall in Eckernförde during the docking maneuver and struck the harbour infrastructure with its jib boom. The damage to a power and water distribution box caused a fountain of water up to five meters high. No one was injured. The public utility company quickly arrived on the scene, cutting off the power supply and shutting off the water supply in Eckernförde to prevent further damage. The harbour master also responded quickly. The exact damage was being assessed. Report with photo: https://www.kn-online.de/lokales/rendsburg-eckernfoerde/unfall-in-hafen-von-eckernfoerde-schiff-setzt-beachtliche-wasserfontaene-frei-WBRJST52ZZFOJHWBICKYNKSAGY.html
RAPIDA
The master of the 'Rapida', which had severely damaged the railway bridge over the Hunte River near Elsfleth on the night of Feb 24, 2024, must pay a fine of €5,000. This was decided by the court in Brake.The decision can still be appealed. After the allision, a temporary bridge was hoisted over the Hunte River near Brake, which was also struck shortly afterwards. The total damage from the allision amounted to approximately €10 million. A non-movable temporary bridge is still in place, limiting access to the port of Oldenburg. The judge primarily blamed the skipper for the fact that there was no helmsman on board. He was sailing with two sailors. The defective lighting on a level indicator sign was cited as a mitigating factor. However, the judge found that the skipper should have known the sign was there and should have used a flashlight to look at it. The defendant had not done everything possible to prevent the allision. The prosecutor even argued that the undermanned vessel had no certificate for sailing on the Hunte at night. The skipper had been under time pressure because he had to load on the Weser the next morning. He allegedly approached the bridge at a speed of 16 kilometers per hour, while the speed limit there was 10 kilometers per hour. The skipper's lawyer pleaded for acquittal. He believed that the main cause of the allision was not the understaffing, but rather the weathered and unlit gauge sign. He pointed out that there had been previous collisions with the bridge due to a lack of clarity about the clearance height. A few months after a temporary bridge was constructed, it too was struck by a German tanker. Because the damage could have been repaired relatively easily at that time, the tanker was fined €1,500. The water and sghipping authority has since replaced the gauge sign and illuminated it. The temporary bridge is also illuminated at night.
W-SAPPHIRE
En route from Baltimore to Port Louis, there was an explosion aboard the 'W Sapphire' on Aug 18, 2025, at around 6.30 p.m. LT. The 'W Sapphire', which had just loaded a cargo of coal at CSX's Curtis Bay terminal in Baltimore, had started iits voyage and was sailing on the Patapsco River in Chesapeake Bay, not far from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, when the explosion occurred south of Fort Carroll. None of the 23 crew members nor the two pilots, who were guiding the ship out, were injured. Responders from Coast Guard Sector Maryland - National Capital Region were dispatched to the area to assist. A fire was brought under control by closing the vessel’s hatches, but the fireboats remained on scene. The ship was assisted ton a nearby mooring b tugs and dropped anchor in pos. 39° 02' N 076° 22' W. The Coast Guard has established a 2,000-yard safety zone around the incident location, spanning from the Key Bridge to Brewerton Angle Channel LB “14”. Plans for the vessel are being formulated. Watchstanders issued an UMIB and dispatched responders to the scene to assist while coordinating the response with local port partners. Involved in the response were: - Coast Guard Station Curtis Bay response boat crews; - A Coast Guard Station Annapolis response boat crew; - Sector Maryland - National Capital Region responders; - Baltimore Fire Department crews; - Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police crews. Video: https://twitter.com/i/status/1957590461075660940