Nijmegen, Netherlands – A cargo ship on the Waal River split in half this afternoon while being loaded with sand, resulting in a remarkable incident at a sand extraction site between the villages of Deest and Winssen, west of Nijmegen. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The incident has raised questions about how this could happen, with Gaby Huisman from Nederzand Projectmanagement telling Omroep “broadcast”Gelderland, “For inexplicable reasons, the ship snapped or tore in half. The midsection is submerged.” The ship, measuring 110 meters in length and originating from Belgium, has been in operation since 1974. Currently, two sections of the ship remain above water, while the portion containing approximately 1.9 million kilograms of sand, according to De Gelderlander, has sunk.
Photos captured the stern steadily disappearing beneath the surface, painting a grim picture of the unfolding situation.
At the time of loading, three crew members were onboard, one of whom ended up in the water. Fortunately, after assessment by an ambulance crew, he did not require hospitalization.
Despite the incident, there have been no reports of oil leakage from the vessel, according to “Rijkswaterstaat”, The Dutch Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management. However, as a precautionary measure, an oil containment boom has been deployed to prevent potential oil spills from entering the water.
Rijkswaterstaat has assured that the incident will not disrupt river traffic. Insurers will investigate the incident and arrange for the removal of the cargo ship.
This is not the first time the inland vessel in question has encountered issues. Two years ago, the vessel sprung a leak after colliding with the bank of the Albert Canal in Olen, a Belgian municipality east of Antwerp. Additionally, in 2014, the ship sustained damage during a collision with a Polish cargo ship on the Rhine near the German city of Duisburg.
Source:NOS
