19,000-teu containership is still stuck, rescue attempt abandoned
One of the world’s largest containerships is still aground in the River Elbe outside Germany’s Port of Hamburg after a rescue attempt at high tide today was abandoned when the ship failed to shift.
At around 13:00hrs (local time) today, team of seven tugs tried to move the 400-metre-long CSCL Indian Ocean off the sandbank on which it ran ground, the nautical department of the Hamburg Harbourmaster’s office told Splash by phone today.
The vessel grounded at around 22:00hrs last night, which is believed to be due to power failure, the nautical office said. On Wednesday night, the ship’s captain informed the Brunsbüttel Vessel Traffic Centre that the steering gear had failed, other reports say.
Now authorities may begin to siphon off fuel oil from the vessel or offload its container cargo in order to make the containership easier to shift, the office said.
Alternatively, dredgers may be used to remove silt from alongside the vessel and deepen the channel so that the ship can be refloated.
There are no signs of pollution or damage to the vessels hull, the official confirmed.