German and Norwegian ships collide in Baltic Sea

A German containership and a Norwegian cargo vessel collided in the Baltic Sea off Rugen on Friday, January 25.

The containership Beate (pictured) was sailing from Swinoujscie, Poland, to Bremerhaven when, at around 03:00 UTC, it struck the starboard fore section of the general cargo vessel Norvind, which had just left Sassnitz to head to Gdansk.

The collision left Beate with slight damage to the bow and Norvind with a four- by four-metre hole just above the waterline, almost immediately causing water ingress.

Both vessels were able to sail to Sassnitz under their own power shortly after being ordered to do so by local authorities. Firefighters came to Norvind’s aid and came on board as soon as it had berthed to assist the crew in pumping out water.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.