SIRIUS HOEJ

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Report in sinking off Bogense published

A rapid change of course, together with a miscalculation of the composition of the cargo, was the reason for the "Sirius Høj"'s sudden capsizing outside Bogense on March 10, 2018, the now published marine accident report showed. The dredger was working off Bogense and on its way back to the port, being fully loaded, when it suddenly sank. Two crew members were on board, one in the wheelhouse and one in the excavator's cab. They both managed to get out and were rescued. The Danish Accident Investigation Board immediately launched an investigation to find out which factors led to the ship's crew not having realized that the ship was in danger of pounding. The investigation, which has now been published, concludes the following: "The Accident Investigation Board concludes in the report that the combination of a rapid change of course, as well as the weight of the cargo and material composition with free liquid surfaces, resulted in a heeling moment which was greater than the ship's stabilizing momentum. The ship did not have the tools to effectively determine its stability after loading. Therefore, the determination of the ship's stability depended on an estimate. The load had a greater density than the crew expected. Therefore, the skipper did not realize that the ship was in danger of falling, as he made a quick and big change of course." Full report: https://www.dmaib.dk/media/9913/sirius-hoej-kaentring-den-10-marts-2018.pdf

Dredger on even keel again

The "Sirius Høj" was raised in the afternoon of March 11. Only a slight oil spill was reported. The ship was carrying a heavy load of sand dug up from the port which shifted and caused the accident. After the capsize also the "Speditøren " of the Danish Navy and a helicoper were on site. On March 10 at midnight the salvage ships "Sanne A" (MMSI-No.: 219007414) and "Susanne A" (IMO-No.: 9099183), were called from Nyorg and were tasked with the salvage work. In the late evening it was completed, and the convoy headed to Assens. On March 12 at 3 a.m. the dredger was delivered at the Assens Shipyard for repairs, and the salvage ships returned to Nyborg.

Dredger ship capsized

On March 10, 2018, at noon the "Sirius Høj" capsized during dredging work at the Bogense Harbor & Marina. The ship was resting on its side about 200 meters off the port after the cargo shifted. The Funen Police was alerted, and the crew of two which had saved themselves onto the port side of the hull were rescued by a private boat. They were treated for hypothermia, but were doing well. One had escaped from the wheelhouse, the second from the crane. The ship had worked to deepen the fairway into Bogense Harbor & Marina. A rescue helicopter was deployed to detect any oil spill. The Home Guard was to lay out flood barriers to reduce emissions. A strip of one meter was all that was observed. As the wind was westbound and expected to turn to NNW in the forthcoming days, any oil would be drifting away from the port. On March 11 the salvage ships "Sanne A" and "Susanne" had arrived on site and already turned the wreck on even keel. The The dredging vessel, which sat on Saturday afternoon, was just outside the entrance to Bogense Harbor, was restored on Sunday afternoon.A maneuver that was a bit slower than when the vessel was kneeling on Saturday, because eyewitnesses were very strong.The deep-sea vessel M / S Sirius Høj, who was on the way out with a heavy load of sand dug up from the bottom of the harbor launch, belongs to the company Høj A / S, based in Horsens. The accident happened according to the explanation of the two employees on board because the load shifted, after which the boat tipped around. The anti pollution ship "Mette Miljø" was ready at the eastern part of th harbour pier, but only a slight oil spill was found. Danish reports with photos and video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwDPgsu2iU0 https://www.tv2fyn.dk/artikel/jens-specialskib-kaentrede-i-bogense-havn-det-er-jo-forfaerdeligt https://www.tv2fyn.dk/artikel/drukneulykke-skib-kaentret-ud-havn https://www.fyens.dk/modules/mobile/article?articleid=3237960 https://www.tv2fyn.dk/artikel/drukneulykke-skib-kaentret-ud-havn