A Marshall Islands flagged bulk carrier “Cape Leonidas,” suffered engine damage on the Elbe River inbound to the Port of Hamburg on January 17, 2017 at about 4:00am (UTC). The carrier blocked major ship transit to-and-from the port. This area of the river is highly saturated with ship traffic, including container ships, oil tankers, etc. A blockage of any size greatly disrupts commodity deliveries, vessel routes, and operational logistics. The river itself is one of the major rivers of Central Europe, with a total length of 724 miles. It runs from the Czech Republic through Germany to the North Sea. It has been navigable by commercial vessels since 1842, and is accessible for 1,000-ton barges as far as Prague through the Vltava. The Port of Hamburg lies far upstream from the mouth of the Elbe, it is one of the largest seaports in Europe.
Shortly after the bulk carrier lost power, it dropped anchor in the main fairway. The tugs, Bugiser 2, Bugsier 7, Bugsier 15, Bugsier 18, Bugsier 22, Fairplay IX, Michel, Wolf, and Wal, arrived on the scene to assist. The police boat Buergermeister Weichmann, the anti-pollution ship Neuwerk, and the pilot boat Pilot Pagensand were also on site.
The carrier blocked major traffic throughout the morning and was finally pulled upstream during the afternoon. In the midday hours the fairway at Kollmar was free again for ship transit with a length up to 150 meters. Larger ships that waited to enter the port had to remain at anchor off Helgoland, and ships that wanted to leave the port had to remain at their berths. At 7:00pm, the bulk carrier was finally pushed towards the quay in the Hansaport and moored at the Port of Hamburg.
By utilizing our AIS data, Genscape Vesseltracker was able to provide real-time insight into the bulk carrier’s location and journey along the river. AIS data allows ship operators, port operators, and others to see events like this in real-time, so they can accurately update estimated times of arrival when delays occur.
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