MS TAUBER
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Tauber refloated after lightering
The lightering of the "Tauber" in the port of Evonik Works at Lülsdorf started in the morning of Oct 27 with the help of a dredger vessel and a cargo ship. The ship was still stuck 20 metres off the quay so that divers were unable to patch the leak. The ship had on board a cargo of 1 800 tons sand. The aim is to reduce the ship's weight so far that it can be refloated. In the midday hours the "Tauber" could be moored at the Evonik-Quay and posed no threat to ship traffic any more. The large crane of Evonik continued to unload the sand on Oct 28. Divers of the fire brigade Colonia were to patch the leak once this was completed. The bow thruster, the compressor and ship's pumps have been damaged, but the fire rescue have been able to cope with the flooding. German report with photo: http://www.general-anzeiger-bonn.de/index.php?k=loka&itemid=10001&detailid=956479
Another accident before the recent case
The "Tauber" already had an accident short before the recent case on the Rhine near Duesseldorf. On Oct 23, 2011, the ship had been moored at 8 p.m., but after the anchor dragged, it got stuck at km 748 on the left side of the river around 10.15 p.m. During refloating attempts, gravel from the river bottom blocked the bow thruster, and the ship had to be refloated by a Dutch vessel the following day at noon. While continuing to Basel, the master remarked a water ingress possible as a follow-up on Oct 25. On Oct 27, the cargo of the vessel was to be lightered before the ship would be allowed to sail to a repair yard.
Tauber grounded during salvage work
After the "Tauber" was moored at the Evonik Works on Oct 25 at 3.15 p.m. about 50 members of the fire rescue tried to stabilize the ship with two dewatering pumps from one of the cargo holds. Divers of the fire brigade Colonia were called to patch the leak, but as the currents were too strong to send them down, the "Tauber" was pulled astern into calmer waters at 5.30 p.m. by the work boat "Bonn" from Mondorf. During this manoever, the "Tauber" grounded on a sand bar. Attempts of the "Bonn" to pull the ship off, failed. Meanwhile the fire brigade was able to pump out as much water as was floating in. German report with photo: http://www.general-anzeiger-bonn.de/index.php?k=loka&itemid=10001&detailid=955526
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