Collision Closes Germany’s Kiel Canal

The MV Siderfly seen listing heavily along an embamkment of Germany’s Kiel Canal. Photo credit: CCME

A collision between a cargo ship and a LPG carrier early Monday morning has closed Germany’s Kiel Canal, leaving the cargo ship heavily listing and leaking diesel into the busy waterway.

FULL COVERAGE: Kiel Canal Ship Collision

Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCME) reports that the 100-meter coastal freighter “Siderfly” collided with 116-meter Dutch-flagged gas carrier Coral Ivory at about 3 a.m. Monday in the Nordostseekanal (akaKiel Canal) near the town of Brunsbüttel in Northern Germany.

Photos from the scene show the Sidefly listing heavily against an embankment.

The Sidefly sustained two holes to its port side measuring about 3 by 5 meters each and reports indicate that diesel has leaked but is being contained by booms. The vessel was reportedly carrying a cargo of fertilizer from Brunsbüttel to Antwerp in Belgium when the collision occurred.

The Coral Ivory did not sustain damage in the collision. The vessel was underway from from Brunsbüttel to Uusikaupunki in Finland.

No injuries amongst the crew have been reported.

At this time the Kiel Canal remains closed as efforts to stabilize and salvage the Sidefly are underway.

The Kiel Canal is the world’s busiest artificial waterway and runs for almost 61 miles, linking the North Sea at Brunsbüttel to the Baltic Sea at Kiel-Holtenau. In 2012, a total of 34,879 ships transited the canal according to data from Kiel-Canal.org.

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