Oil Tanker Grounds on Scheldt River After Run-In with Bulk Carrier

MT Seatrout aground on Scheldt river. Photo: Port of Antwerp Authority

A 188-meter oil tanker ran aground on the Western Scheldt while departing the Port of Antwerp on Wednesday following a close encounter with a bulk carrier, according to reports.

The Port of Antwerp posted pictures showing the German-flagged MT Seatrout aground at low tide near Bath, Netherlands. After closing the port to vessels less than 200m, tugs helped refloat the tanker at high tide and the ship was brought to Vlissingen for inspection.

According to some media reports, the Seatrout may have had a close encounter or even a minor collision with a bulk carrier which led to the grounding.

A look at AIS shows the Seatrout was outbound on the Scheldt when it ran aground at the Bath corner at about 03:43 UTC:

The second vessel in the incident has been identified as the 225-meter MV Usolie, a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier.

AIS data from the Usolie shows it was also outbound on the river and in the vicinity of the grounding at the same time as the incident (03:43 UTC):

Both vessels were in ballast the time of the incident, AIS showed. 

As of 19:00 UTC showed that the MV Usolie had already left the Scheldt for its next destination. 

So far no damage has been reported to either vessel. 

Coincidentally, MT Seatrout ran aground in nearly the exact same location where the large containership CSCL Jupiter ran aground in August.