News

The Moselle lock in Müden was back in operation on Feb 1, with the first ship being the "Mainz", a ship used by the Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA), which successfully passed through the lock on the morning. Representatives of the state and the Directorate General for Waterways and Shipping came to the reopening of the lock along with Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing and representatives from Luxembourg and France were also present. According to the WSA Rhein-Mosel-Saar, the repair of the lock has been fully completed. The last test locks were still running until the afternoon of Jan 31. The gate movements were checked again and finer details were adjusted. The experts paid attention to the hydraulics and whether the speed of the 40-ton gate wings was programmed correctly. The work was carried out at record speed. The 'Regina K' remained in Haren as of Feb 4. Report with photo and video: https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/rheinlandpfalz/moselschleuse-wieder-frei-100.html

The sailing yacht 'Flying Black Pearl', with one crew member on board, issued a distress call 23 nautical miles southeast of Roses on Feb 3, 2025. The ship was disabled without rudder and with other damages. The CCS Barcelona of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Lyra' to assist, which took the boat in tow and safely pulled it to Roses. The 'LS Barcelona' of the Creu Roja assists during the docking manoever. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1886463694705471651

After the Elbe in Dresden was blocked for shipping for five months after the partial collapse of the Carola Bridge, the 'Dick' along with the barge 'Dick 1' was the first ship which has been allowed to pass again on Feb 3, 2025, transporting a 221-ton generator and up to 500 tons of fertilizer to Antwerp. The months-long closure has caused the shipping companies considerable losses. Legal action against the city of Dresden was therefore being considered. In the coming weeks, up to 40 ships are expected to pass the route, but the future of shipping remains uncertain. Currently, only ships with special permits are allowed to use it, while private boats are still prohibited. Reports with video: https://www.sachsen-fernsehen.de/mediathek/video/dresden-nach-fuenf-monaten-erstes-frachtschiff-passiert-wieder-die-carolabruecke/ https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/sachsen/carolabruecke-containerschiff-passiert-100.html

On the night of Feb 3, 2025, the 'Salvamar Alphard' was mobilized by the CCS Tenerife of Salvamento Marítimo. The two sailing yachts 'Alborán Albariño' and 'Agi' had been left adrift near the port of Santa Cruz de La Palma. Both boats were taken in tow and safely pulled to the port of Santa Cruz de la Palma. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1886700187210469670

The 'Vezhen' has finally left its anchorage on Feb 3 at around 2 p.m. UTC. The ship, carrying a load of sulfur, will make a stopover in Denmark for repairs and will continue its route to Uruguay and Argentina then. After the prosecutor, leading the preliminary investigation into suspected sabotage of a cable in the Baltic Sea, had lifted the seizure of the bulk carrier, also the Swedish Coast Guard had ended its work on and around the vessel. After having contributed to the preliminary investigation from day one, by assisting the Swedish Security Service, the Coast Guard's vessels and crews that were at the anchorage south of Aspö outside Karlskrona, have returned to regular operations. Since the seizure, the Coast Guard had carried out a number of different investigative measures on board the vessel and in the investigation, working closely with the prosecutor and the Swedish Security Service. Together with the Police Authority and the Armed Forces, they have been able to deliver information and analyses that have been crucial to the investigation. The preliminary investigation continued, and the Coast Guard was assisting based on the prosecutor's directive.