A dangerous incident occurred on the Rhine in Düsseldorf at the end of last week. Two ships broke through a barrier set up by the waterway police at the Oberkassel bridge, putting the officers at serious risk. The police had secured the area for an operation. Despite an explicit prohibition, one skipper announced by radio that he would ignore the barrier and simply continue on his way.
Reckless behaviour on the Rhine
The captain actually carried out his threat. With his cargo ship, which was over 100 metres long, he sailed downstream through the deployment site. According to a police spokeswoman, several boats had to swerve out of the way of the large ship to prevent a collision. The much smaller police and rescue boats had been considerably jeopardised by the waves of the freighter.
The incident was not an isolated incident. In the meantime, two other captains began to insult the emergency services on the radio. One of them also disregarded the prohibition of passage and steered his ship through the closed operation site.
Police initiate criminal proceedings
Although the officers did not succeed in stopping the ships, the action was not without consequences for the captains responsible. The waterway police are now investigating the owners of the ships and have initiated criminal proceedings.
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Leonie Meyer
Editor News & Panorama
