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Water taxi was sailing too fast

The water taxi 'MSTX 2', that collided with the 'Vlij' on the Nieuwe Maas, was sailing too fast when leaving the Leuvehaven. The vessel also did not cross at a sufficient distance from the waterbus. The nautical instructions of Watertaxi Rotterdam stipulate that a water taxi must maintain a distance of 30 metres from commercial shipping. If a water taxi wants to pass in front of another vessel, the captain must maintain a distance of 150 metres. The water taxi was already sailing at a good speed in the Leuve Port. The permitted speed is six kilometers per hour, but it was already sailing at 13 kilometers per hour at the beginning. When it sailed out of the Leuve Port, it had a speed of approximately 27 kilometers. The maximum speed there is 15 kilometers per hour. The water taxi, which had the Hotel New York as its destination, then started to cross the waterway diagonally, despite the fact that, according to the guidelines of the taxi company, waterways must be crossed at right angles. It was dark and raining, which may have made it difficult to see the waterbus. The speed increased to 36 kilometres per hour just before the collision. At the time of the collision, a captain, a steward and five passengers were on board the waterbus, who were not injured. The staff returned to work after a rest period.

Investigations going on

After the coilision of the 'Vlij' with the water taxi 'MSTX 2' on the Nieuwe Maas in Rotterdam, in which the skipper and two passengers of the water taxi were slightly injured, the Seaport Police was conducting further investigations. The water taxi suffered minor damage to the hull, but was able to continue to the stop under its own power. The injured were checked by ambulance personnel at the stop at the Kop van Zuid. The Safety Board (OVV) was closely monitoring the incident. ‘They have not been on site and we have not yet decided whether or not to conduct an investigation. The OVV does expect an analysis of the follow-up to the previous recommendations within the next two weeks.

Collision with water taxi

The 'Vlij' was in collision with the water taxi 'MSTX 2' on the evening of Nov 23 at around 8.25 p.m. on the Nieuwe Maas  in Rotterdam near the Erasmus Bridge. The water taxi briefly submerged, but none of the passengers fell overboard. The water taxi came from the Leuvehaven and ended up in front of the water bus. Shortly afterwards, the water taxi surfaced again and headed towards the Erasmus Bridge. The water bus then reversed. Three people with minor injuries were checked by ambulance personnel at the water taxi office. These were the skipper and two passengers of the water taxi. The 'Vlij' moored at the Erasmus Bridge stop. The Seaport Police was present and launched an investigation. The accident occurred at almost exactly the same spot where a water taxi sank after a collision in 2022.