A cargo ship loaded with containers hit a railway bridge in the port of Neuss, near Dusseldorf, on Tuesday morning (March 24).
The accident happened around 10:00 a.m. at Rhine kilometer 740. No one was injured, but several containers fell into the water and port operations were briefly affected.
The vessel, which came from the Netherlands, struck the bridge while entering the harbor and got stuck underneath it. Two containers fell into the water at the time of the collision.
Later, when the lift bridge was raised to free the ship, two more containers dropped into the harbor as the cargo became unstable.
Police, firefighters and water rescue teams were sent to the scene. Several police boats and port work vessels were used to secure the containers so they would not drift into the Rhine River.
A police helicopter was also deployed to check if any of the containers had caused water pollution, but officials said there were no signs of contamination.
A large crane vessel was used to recover all the containers from the harbor basin. After the recovery work was completed, the entrance to the port of Neuss was reopened for traffic.
The railway bridge, which is used only by the port’s rail system, has been closed and is being checked for damage.
Authorities said it is still not clear why the ship entered the harbor, as it had already passed the container terminal before the accident. The water police have started an investigation to find…
Full report available at the source: