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The river cruise ship 'De Zonnebloem' (MMSI: 244650986), designed to transport people with disabilities, was in a head-on-collision with the 'Servia' (MMSI:24418518), which was en route from Rotterdam to Ghent, on March 29, 2025, at 3.15 a.m. near Voerde-Spellen close to Wesel on the Rhine at river kilometre 809. None of the 69 passengers - people with a disability -, 65 volunteers and 15 crew members were injured, The foreship was torn open at port side. The water police in Emmerich directed the passenger ship into the port of Wesel. The passengers had to leave the ship. De Zonnebloem was trying to get everyone home as quickly as possible. Employees in both Germany and the Netherlands were working on arranging this. The transport company Valys, specialized in transporting people with disabilities, has offered to bring everyone back to the Netherlands in adapted vans. The 'De Zonnebloem'' sails on the Rhine to and from Germany for about 40 weeks a year and also makes cruises on Belgian and Dutch waters. Every year, almost 3,000 people with physical disabilities go on holiday with it. The 'Servia' was damaged at the port side bow above the waterline too. It was ordered to berth in Duisburg for investigations, after Duisburg Water Police officers boarded the vessel, that was presumably responsible for the accident, and banned it from sailing. Because the vessel's captain was suspected of having consumed alcohol, officers took him to the Duisburg station, where a doctor took a blood sample. The Emmerich Water Police officers have begun an investigation, which is currently ongoing. The captain of the vessel now faces criminal proceedings. On MArch 31 the ship berthed in Ludwigshafen. Reports iwth photos: https://www.transport-online.nl/79894/schip-van-de-zonnebloem-aangevaren-door-vrachtschip-en-maanden-uit-de-vaart/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJWRSNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVFhFcTI5jk11nTtFmVzm0fsmURb_xNiBBAGh7yIKF7k_IyBaS70MXS8lQ_aem_7k2zktHyStaWKe9ngiyOgQ https://nos.nl/artikel/2561546-vakantieschip-de-zonnebloem-loopt-averij-op-in-duitsland https://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/50510/6002565 https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/03/29/enige-schip-zonnebloem-aangevaren-mogelijk-maanden-uit-de-vaart/

On March 30, 2025, the 'Arnold Edward' was disabled off the port of Yarmouth, NS, and requested assistance. The Canadian Coast Guard vessel CCGS 'Sambro' (MMSI: 316001601)) was deployed to assist and pulled the fishing vessel back into port, where it was safely moored in alongside tow.

The 'De Zonnebloem'', designed to transport people with disabilities, was in a head-on-collision with the inland vessel 'Servia' (MMSI:24418518), which was en route from Rotterdam to Ghent, on March 29, 2025, at 3.15 a.m. near Voerde-Spellen close to Wesel on the Rhine at river kilometre 809. None of the 69 passengers - people with a disability -, 65 volunteers and 15 crew members were injured, The foreship was torn open at port side on 20 square meters. The water police in Emmerich directed the passenger ship into the port of Wesel. The passengers had to leave the ship. De Zonnebloem was trying to get everyone home as quickly as possible. Employees in both Germany and the Netherlands were working on arranging this. The transport company Valys, specialized in transporting people with disabilities, has offered to bring everyone back to the Netherlands in adapted vans. The 'De Zonnebloem'' sails on the Rhine to and from Germany for about 40 weeks a year and also makes cruises on Belgian and Dutch waters. Every year, almost 3,000 people with physical disabilities go on holiday with it. The 'Servia' was damaged at the port side bow above the waterline too. It was ordered to berth in Duisburg for investigations, after Duisburg Water Police officers boarded the vessel, that was presumably responsible for the accident, and banned it from sailing. Because the vessel's captain was suspected of having consumed alcohol, officers took him to the Duisburg station, where a doctor took a blood sample. The Emmerich Water Police officers have begun an investigation, which is currently ongoing. The captain of the vessel now faces criminal proceedings. On March 31 it shifted to Ludwigshafen. Reports iwth photos: https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/03/29/enige-schip-zonnebloem-aangevaren-mogelijk-maanden-uit-de-vaart/ https://www.transport-online.nl/79894/schip-van-de-zonnebloem-aangevaren-door-vrachtschip-en-maanden-uit-de-vaart/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJWRSNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVFhFcTI5jk11nTtFmVzm0fsmURb_xNiBBAGh7yIKF7k_IyBaS70MXS8lQ_aem_7k2zktHyStaWKe9ngiyOgQ https://nos.nl/artikel/2561546-vakantieschip-de-zonnebloem-loopt-averij-op-in-duitsland https://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/50510/6002565

On March 26, Bruce English, the senior response officer of the Marine Environmental and Hazards Response section of the Canadian Coast Guard, led a media ride-along to the'MSC Baltic 'III' near Lark Harbour on the calmest day since the Feb. 15 storm. Coming ashore just about anywhere else in the area, where most cliffs plunge deep into the sea, would likely have sunk the ship in short order. The accessibility of Cedar Cove by land is also a stroke of good fortune for the salvage effort. The restriction zone for two nautical miles around the ship, the Canadian Coast Guard had established after the grounding, has since been reduced to one nautical mile, but it still restricts hikers from walking out to the Cedar Cove beach via a trailhead located a short distance away in Little Port. Little Port is being used by the Coast Guard and salvage team crews, although the Coast Guard has installed a temporary floating dock for its small vessels in Lark Harbour. The plan is for the contractors hired by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), to fix up an all-terrain vehicle trail that leads from Lark Harbour to Cedar Cove. That project will include extending the road out into the water to the bow of the ship so heavy trucks can help offload the roughly 1,600 metric tonnes of hydrocarbons, such as heavy fuels, oils, lubricants and other materials, safely and more consistently from the ship. The main priority at the moment is still the removal of the potential pollutants from the ship. Mobile generators and boilers began the process of heating the heaviest oils on March 25. It could take up to two days before the first batch of oil has been warmed enough to begin flowing into frac tanks that have also been loaded onto the deck of the ship. Following the removal of all potential pollutants, the salvage crew will focus on removing all of the freight aboard the 'MSC Baltic III'. There had been around 470 containers aboard the ship, but half of them were empty. Three containers, all of which were empty at the time, were ripped open by the brute force of the waves generated by the Feb. 15 tempest. Eight containers of polymer beads have already been removed by the salvage company. Once all the cargo has been removed, the crews will determine how best to remove the ship itself from its precarious position. Report with photos and video: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/view-from-the-sea-closer-look-at-cargo-ship-that-ran-aground-in-a-lucky-spot-in-nl/ar-AA1BLwkU?ocid=BingNewsVerp&apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1

The 'De Zonnebloem' remained stationary in Wesel as of March 31 after the collision with the 'Servia' on MArch 28 at 3 a.m., en route from Düsseldorf to Arnhem. None of the 69 disabled passengers, 65 volunteers and 15 crew members on board was injured, but the ship suffered considerable damage. In addition to the large hole in the foreship, cabinets come off the wall and there was a lot of rubbish on the floor. But the situation was under control quite quickly, and the crew acted well. Together with the volunteers, they cleaned up well and everyone was quickly back to normal. The ship, which has been fully adapted to offer people with a physical disability a pleasant holiday, was due to return to Arnhem on the morning of March 29. People who were coming to pick up a family member were asked to come to Wesel. The organisation Valys, which transports people with a disability, also picked up passengers in Wesel. The next departure was due to take place on March 31. Passengers will be rebooked by De Zonnebloem to another date. The ship will remain in Wesel until it is allowed to sail further by the authorities, so when it is safe enough to continue sailing. It is now up to the operator to find a shipyard for permanent repairs. Report with photo: https://www.gld.nl/nieuws/8290792/flinke-schade-aan-schip-na-aanvaring