Germany Freighter rams lock gate in Kiel Canal - lock closed
A freighter has rammed a lock gate on the Kiel Canal in Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. The ship was entering the lock chamber from the Elbe on Thursday night when the engine broke down, according to the police.
02.01.2025, 09:58
SDA
Despite immediate countermeasures, the freighter drove into the closed gate, which was crushed a good two meters deep on impact.
The gate can therefore no longer be used for an indefinite period of time. The Cyprus-flagged freighter, which was en route from Hamburg to Klaipeda in Lithuania, suffered only minor damage. The Berufsgenossenschaft Verkehr issued a ban on further navigation for the cargo ship until its seaworthiness is confirmed. The ship will remain in the lock chamber for the time being.
It was only in December that a cargo ship loaded with scrap metal rammed a lock gate on the Moselle in Rhineland-Palatinate in south-west Germany. The lock was closed to shipping for months as a result.
