A Wallenius Wilhelmsen car carrier has been ripped from its moorings in a storm in Germany, damaging infrastructure at the Lloyd Werft shipyard.
The Nordsee-Zeitung reported that the 7,194-ceu Don Quijote (built 1998) knocked over a crane and hit floating dock No 3 at the facility in Bremerhaven on Sunday evening.
Contact was made between the vessel’s bow and the 450-tonne shipyard crane, with a lifting capacity of 25 tonnes.
The crane had stood at the yard for 50 years, after being made by VEB Baumechanik Barleben in what was then East Germany.
Damage was also caused to the outfitting quay at Lloyd Werft.
Sven May, operations manager at Lloyd Werft, told the newspaper the exact extent of the damage is not yet known.
He said the crane is probably a total loss, however.
Experts will be brought in to examine the floating dock, which is currently empty.
May said no final assessment will be made until at least Wednesday.
Costly accident?
The maritime police in Bremen said damage would be in the high six-digit range.
Operations at the shipyard are able to continue as normal.
Wallenius Wilhelmsen told TradeWinds: “Most importantly, no personal injuries or environmental damages have been reported.”
“The vessel Don Quijote, currently at the working berth in Bremerhaven in Germany, was blown off its berth on Sunday night, touching the nearby Lloyd Werft shipyard floating dock. At the time of the incident the vessel was moored at the lay-by berth at Bremerhaven,” it added.
The owner was told there were wind speeds of above 60 knots wind at the time.
“Joint surveys of damages are underway, including both Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s and Lloyd Werft’s insurance companies,” the company said.
Large car carriers present a big target for high winds. When storms are approaching, tugs are usually used to make sure the vessels are in a safe location.
AIS data shows the Don Quijote remained moored in Bremerhaven on Tuesday morning.
It arrived at the yard on 8 July and its destination is shown as Antwerp in Belgium on 12 July.
