VIDEO: Kiel Canal closed after carrier smashes into 2 bridges
A cargo vessel has rammed into two bridges over the Kiel Canal in northern Germany, causing the temporary closure of the important waterway.
According to reports in the German media, the multipurpose deck cargo carrier MV Meri rammed into both Holtenau High Bridges while carrying a crane at around 4.30am on Wednesday (30 November 2022).
The reports state that the crane’s boom smashed into the bridges as the vessel attempted to pass underneath, with some parts of the crane falling into the water. The reason for the accident is still unknown.
The Finnish-flagged vessel is currently moored near the bridges, according to shipping AIS data, with both bridges and the Kiel Canal closed to traffic as German authorities investigate the incident and check the structural integrity of the bridges.
“From what I know right now, there is damage to the cargo and to the vessel, but the extent is still unknown,” Beppe Rosin, CEO of the ship’s operator Meriaura, told Project Cargo Journal.
“Everything was done by the book, with a pilot onboard and permission granted to transit the canal,” Rosin adds. “Everything was measured and to my knowledge the crew has taken all the necessary steps to carry out the operation properly.”
It is reported that no one was injured in the accident.
High bridge at Holtenau
In April, two cargo ships collided head-on in the Kiel Canal, causing the busy waterway to close to traffic for several hours. And, in August, a skipper was left counting the cost of a decision to try and pass under a bridge on the Scheldt-Rhine Canal near Rilland, after its wheelhouse was destroyed.
