The two previous attempts had failed to free the container ship which had run aground
What happened?
A container ship had run aground in the Elbe River near Hamburg almost a week ago. The authorities made two attempts previously which had been unfruitful and failed miserably. It is expected to continue its voyage after the rescue.
Many container and cargo ships run aground every now-and-then while they sail to deliver sea cargo to Africa, United State, China, United Kingdom and other countries of the world.
When the rescue efforts began?
At 2 a.m. local time (o1:00 UTC/GMT), the rescue efforts began and after 20 minutes of extensive efforts the cargo ship CSCL Indian Ocean was freed up. This ship had run aground almost a week ago in the Elbe River about 22 miles northwest of Hamburg. During the rescue attempts the affected section of the Elbe River was closed off to traffic. This operation was facilitated by the south-westerly winds in the North Sea and high tides on a new moon, then there were 12 tugboats that finally released the container ship.
The ship is towed back into the shipping channel and five tugboats pulled it safely to the Hamburg at about 5:30 a.m. local time.
Is the ship healthy enough to continue its voyage?
The accident had been caused by a defect in the steering system, said the rescue team from the “Havariekommando Cuxhaven”. They said after initial check-ups that the steering system was in working order again and they have not found any evidence of any lasting damage. The authorities said that it will take a week for further check-ups and after that the cargo ship may leave Hamburg to continue its voyage on due course.
What are the details of the vessel?
CSCL Indian Ocean is one of the largest cargo ships in the world which was put in operation last year. It is 400 meters long and 59 meters wide and has the ability to carry the maximum number of containers is 19,100 teu. If you don’t know what teu is then in terms of measurement it is twenty-foot equivalent unit. There are only a few cargo vessels in the world that exceed 19,000 teu.
