Containership strikes quay wall on Elbe River in Germany

A container vessel owned by French shipping company CMA CGM accidentally struck a quay wall and a nearby gantry crane in the Elbe River in the German city of Hamburg on Sunday, May 11.

The Malta-registered CMA CGM Ermitage was en route to the Port of Hamburg when it executed a hard turn to avoid colliding with a small yacht at around midday (local time) on Sunday.

The larger ship successfully avoided the yacht but ended up striking and damaging a quay wall and a gantry crane.

No injuries or oil spills have been reported, though local authorities have begun working to determine the extent of the damage sustained by the ship, the quay, and the crane.

CMA CGM Ermitage belongs to a new series of ten LNG-powered, 2,000TEU containerships that each feature an aerodynamic hull design with an almost inverted straight bow and integrated bulb.

The ship was delivered to CMA CGM in 2024 alongside earlier sisters CMA CGM Mermaid, CMA CGM Alhambra, CMA CGM Sintra, and CMA CGM Altamira.