MELTEMI

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Piz Ela left Germersheim

The 'Guttenberg' was refloated after lightering operations on Feb 28 around 2 a.m and towed to Germersheim with heavy bow damage. On Feb 29 at 8 a.m. she left the port and arrived at a repair yard in Speyer on Feb 29 at 3 p.m. The collision with the 'Piz Ela' was according to the police caused by a lack of communication between the masters. The tank barge had shifted the side of the fairway and had signalled this, but the 'Guttenbeg' did not divert as she should have done by yet unknown reasons. One crew member od the 'Piz Ela' was treated in hospital with slight injuries. The tank barge ledt Germersheim on Feb 28 at 2 p.m. and headed to Mannheim where she berthed at 6 p.m. On March 4 at 5 p.m. the barge berthed in Druten at the De Gerlien van Tiem BV shiprepair yard. Reports with photos: https://www.wormser-zeitung.de/lokales/vg-eich/vg-eich/erste-hinweise-auf-unfallursache-nach-schiffsungluck_21321455 https://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/43615/4533788

Collision on the Rhine

The 'Piz Ela', 1335 ts (EU-No.: 07001829), coming from Mainz, was in collision with the gravel loaded barge 'Guttenberg', 2006 ts (EU-No.: 04014610), which was approaching from Beinheim, on the Rhine at river km 467 at the height of the Eich lake in the afternoon of Feb 27, 2020. The gravel barge was breached, suffered water ingress and was grounded on the Weiden Ground in pos. 49° 46.11' N 008° 25.49' E to avoid its sinking. The response was coordinated by the river authority in Worms. The fire rescue attended with capable submersible pumps and tried to stabilize the ship. The 'Piz Ela' suffered bow damage too. She was loaded with 38%-caustic soda which did not leak out. The master suffered slight injuries and was taken to hospital. He had no licence to be at the helm of the ship which was undercrewed. At the time of the accident there was dense snow fall in the region reducing the visibility significantly. The fire brigade was on scene with forces from Eich, Hamm, Guntersblum and Worms. Both ships had to be patched temporarily and the gravel barge lightered. The lightering of the cargo of the 'Guttenberg' onto the barge 'Reinhard Weibel Sen.' (MMSI: 211511270) started in the morning of Feb 28 with the dredger ship 'Niclas' (MMSI: 211589840). The multi purpose ship 'Gunther' (MMSI: 211522570) and the fireboat ‘Hecht‘ (MMSI: 211531050) assisted the operation. Once a replacement master has been found for the tank barge which berthed in the port of Gernsheim at 7.30 p.m. and the crew has the required strength, the 'Piz Ela' may continue its voyage to unload its cargo before entering a yard. The police Gernhseim was investigating the accident. German reports with photos: https://www.wormser-zeitung.de/lokales/vg-eich/eich/zwei-schiffe-auf-rhein-bei-eich-kollidiert_21317259 https://www.allgemeine-zeitung.de/lokales/rheinhessen/ursache-fur-schiffsungluck-noch-unklar_21321455

Collision on the Rhine

On March 3, 2019, at 6 a.m. the "Piz Ela", 1335 ts (EU-No: 07001829), being loaded with 900 tons of caustic soda and coming from Voerde, was in collision with the Dutch barges "Statendam", 2744 ts, (EU No. 02336372) and "Statendam II", 2750 ts (EU No .: 02335031) close to Oberwesel on the Rhine. The tank barge had veered off the fairway at the "Geissenrücken" due to a navigational mistake and on its way back into the fairway could not avoid the "Statendam" which was sailing downstream, so the vessels clashed. The "Pi Ela", which was destined for Greffern in Rheinmünster berthed at Bingen port in the afternoon. Both ships suffered damage to their port side bows and a hole in the hull. The "Statendam" reached Dordrecht on March 4 at 9.30 a.m. The "Pize Ela" had carried out an emergency repair in Oberwesel and got the breach in the bow well above the water line by pumping of cargo into other tanks so it was allowed to leave the port of Bingen after an inspection too.