A passenger ferry accidentally allided with a pier as it was heading out of the Port of Rønne in Denmark on Wednesday, July 22.
Express 5, a 2023-built catamaran Ro-Pax ferry operated by local transport company Bornholmslinjen, was about to depart on a scheduled voyage to the Swedish town of Ystad when it struck a pier shortly in the early morning (local time) of Wednesday.
The vessel was then forced to turn around and was back at its assigned berth by 07:15. No injuries were reported, though an inspection revealed that the vessel suffered hull cracks on its port side just above the waterline.
The ferry's scheduled service to Ystad was temporarily served by another vessel.
On November 25, 2024, Express 5 had allided with a pier at the same port as it was departing on a scheduled voyage Ystad. The impact left multiple dents and scratches just above the vessel's waterline, but as with Wednesday's accident, no serious damage or injuries have been reported.
Prior to the 2024 allision, the vessel had been involved in two accidents.
On May 27, 2024, less than a month after it sailed on its maiden operational voyage, the ferry suffered slight hull damage during a berthing attempt at Ystad. The individual who was the captain at the time has been charged with negligence for operating the vessel at high speed, thus preventing it from manoeuvring to avoid colliding with a moored barge.
The following June, the ferry was at berth in Ystad when a sudden strong gust of wind caused it to break free of its moorings and drift towards and strike a nearby quay. This accident was traced to a failure of the tension winch that kept the vessel tied to the berth.
