Mertert port affected after boat collides with gate on Moselle

There has been disruption for ships bringing supplies in and out of the port of Mertert in Luxembourg after a boat crashed into a lock gate on the German side of the Moselle on Wednesday.

A passenger cabin boat rammed a lock gate near Cochem on Wednesday afternoon while entering the lock. Three people were injured in the accident, according to the police in Rhineland-Palatinate.

The gate was so badly damaged that the lock in Sankt Aldegund had to suspend operations until further notice.

The effects of the incident are already being felt in the port of Mertert in Luxembourg.

According to Luxport CEO Gilles Braquet, “a number of ships” are now unable to load or unload in Mertert due to the lock being out of service.

However, he remains optimistic that the impact of the incident on shipping on the Moselle will be “minor.” Braquet indicated that repairs to the lock will last until the end of the week.

Deadline for repairs unclear

However, a spokesperson for the Mosel-Saar-Lahn Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA), which is responsible for the lock, was unable to confirm this timeline when contacted by the Luxemburger Wort. Officials are on site and are still assessing the extent of the damage.

“Shipping traffic will not come to a standstill. Emergency locks will be implemented if necessary,” the WSA spokesperson said.

German Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder, who is set to visit the site on Thursday evening, said that the latest incident “is not good news for the Moselle. I will do everything in my power to ensure that the Moselle can be reopened as quickly as possible.”

Around 50 ships are currently waiting to be locked through the damaged gate, according to the German transport ministry on Thursday afternoon.

Spate of recent incidents

Just a short time after the lock incident, another accident occurred on the Moselle River on Wednesday evening. Police reported that a cabin boat struck a bridge near Treis-Karden, which, like Sankt Aldegund, is located in the Cochem-Zell district.

According to reports, 110 passengers and 27 crew members were on board when the ship collided with the bridge. Two crew members were injured and taken to hospitals. The bridge sustained significant damage, according to reports.

The latest incidents come just months after the Müden lock on the German side of the river was severely damaged in a collision involving a cargo ship on 8 December. Around 70 ships were stranded following the crash and were eventually freed after a painstaking operation lasting around three weeks.

Ships have been able to travel through the repaired lock again since the beginning of February.

(This article was originally published by the Luxemburger Wort. Machine translated, with editing and adaptation by John Monaghan.)