DANUBE 1

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Main closed after ship grounding

On Jan 6, 2014, around 7 p.m. the "Danube 1" while sailing downstream from Romania to Dusseldorf ran aground outside the fairway on the lefthand river shore underneath the old Main bridge in Kitzingen. The ship was loaded with 2000 tons corn and got stuck on a gravel bar with a water depth of only one meter. The fire brigade and the Technical Support Work (THW) were alarmed and brought officers of the police on board as the master could not be contacted via VHF. Rescue forces were on scene with 30 men. As the stern anchor of the ship was not working, the scene was illuminated with headlights. First surveys showed that the hull was sound and there was no leakage. In the morning of Jan 7 salvage work was due to commence. The ship traffic on the Main was interrupted. The water police Würzburg launched an investigation. The "Danube 1" was refloated on Jan 7 at 11.30 a.m. by an icebreaker of the Main Shipping Authority in Schweinfurt. The ship was taken to the Main-lockin Kitzingen for surveys. German report with photo: http://www.mainpost.de/regional/kitzingen/Guetermotorschiff-auf-Grund-gelaufen;art773,7875702

Master spent the night in arrest, ship refloated

On Aug 19 divers surveyed the hull of the "Danube 1" to find out whether the ship with its 1200 tons fertilier on board may continue its voyage from Fürth. The master had run his ship aground when a boat of the water police had tried to stop him and he went full speed ahead instead. Though a deck hand was able to convince the master to stop, the allision with the "Johannes" and the subsequent grounding could not be averted. In the night of Aug 19 the ship refloated due to the impact of waves of passing vessels. It was found out that the Romanian master was intoxicated with 2,1 per thousand even three hours after the accident. As he resisted against the police, he was arrested during the night and an investigation against him launched. Another master had to be sent to Fürth to guide the ship on its further voyage. German report with photos: http://www.br.de/nachrichten/mittelfranken/schiffsunfall-fuerth-betrunken-100.html

Drunk captain ran his ship aground

In the afternoon of Aug 18, 2013, the "Danube 1" ran aground in the port of Fürth. The ship was underway on the Main-Danube-Canal with 1200 tons fertilizer when the caretaker of the lock Kriegenbrunn remarked strange divertions from the ship's course, and he alerted the Police. When they tried to stop the ship in Fürth, the captain ignored the signals and speeded up, allided with the barge "Johannes" and finally ran onto the embankment. As the ship was hard aground, it was to be lightered on Aug 19 to get refloated. A diver was to survey the hull and the shore to assess the damage. It was found out that the captain was intoxicated. German report with photos: http://www.nordbayern.de/region/fuerth/betrunkener-schiffsfuhrer-lasst-frachtkahn-in-furth-auflaufen-1.3101671