Shipping accident: Moselle remains closed for months

On Sunday afternoon (8 December), shortly after 13:00, a motorised goods vessel loaded with scrap metal crashed into the lower gate of the Müden Moselle lock (Moselle km 37.1) without braking for as yet unexplained reasons. Both gate wings of the lock were completely torn from their anchoring and deformed. The drive cylinders for the two gate wings were also severely damaged, according to the Mosel-Saar-Lahn Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA). All parts are no longer usable and will have to be completely replaced. The Moselle is not expected to be navigable again until spring. A detailed damage assessment will be carried out in the coming days.

In November 2023, a shipping accident caused a lock closure on the Rhine:

• Iffezheim: New lock gate after accident caused by drunk helmswoman
• Crash: Coxswain crashes into lock gate with a blood alcohol level of 1.13 - and is sentenced

Ships jammed on the Moselle

According to SWR, a crisis team is meeting today to discuss the situation of the 70 or so ships that are now stuck. As there is only this lock chamber for large ships at the Müden barrage, the through shipping traffic is now backed up all the way to the French border and the Saar. The approximately 70 ships can no longer leave the Moselle in the direction of the Rhine. The crisis team is now discussing whether they can remain at their current berths or have to be moved so that they can be safely moored and supplied with fuel and water in the coming months, even during high water. Recreational boating is not directly affected for the time being, as the lock chamber for pleasure craft is closed for seasonal reasons until 1 April anyway.

Ship rammed closed lock gate

According to the Koblenz waterway police, the cargo ship rammed into the lock gate while it was still closed. For reasons as yet unexplained, the ship had driven into the lower gate "apparently almost without braking", according to the Waterways and Shipping Office. The lock chamber was still being prepared for the lockage, the entrance had not yet been cleared and the lock gate was still completely closed. The bow of the ship had been damaged in the collision. However, no water had entered and the freighter was still afloat near the lock. According to the police, hydraulic fluid leaked into the Moselle as a result of the accident. However, the fire brigade was able to prevent the fluid from spreading further. The ship was carrying around 1,500 tonnes of scrap metal and was on its way to the port of Mertert in Luxembourg.