RAPIDA

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Mastrer fined for allision

The master of the 'Rapida', which had severely damaged the railway bridge over the Hunte River near Elsfleth on the night of Feb 24, 2024, must pay a fine of €5,000. This was decided by the court in Brake.The decision can still be appealed. After the allision, a temporary bridge was hoisted over the Hunte River near Brake, which was also struck shortly afterwards. The total damage from the allision amounted to approximately €10 million. A non-movable temporary bridge is still in place, limiting access to the port of Oldenburg. The judge primarily blamed the skipper for the fact that there was no helmsman on board. He was sailing with two sailors. The defective lighting on a level indicator sign was cited as a mitigating factor. However, the judge found that the skipper should have known the sign was there and should have used a flashlight to look at it. The defendant had not done everything possible to prevent the allision. The prosecutor even argued that the undermanned vessel had no certificate for sailing on the Hunte at night. The skipper had been under time pressure because he had to load on the Weser the next morning. He allegedly approached the bridge at a speed of 16 kilometers per hour, while the speed limit there was 10 kilometers per hour. The skipper's lawyer pleaded for acquittal. He believed that the main cause of the allision was not the understaffing, but rather the weathered and unlit gauge sign. He pointed out that there had been previous collisions with the bridge due to a lack of clarity about the clearance height. A few months after a temporary bridge was constructed, it too was struck by a German tanker. Because the damage could have been repaired relatively easily at that time, the tanker was fined €1,500. The water and sghipping authority has since replaced the gauge sign and illuminated it. The temporary bridge is also illuminated at night.

Ship hits railway bridge

The Rapida hits the Railway Bridge at Elsfleth , Train services interrupted https://cdn.vesseltracker.com/hires/2085968.jpg https://cdn.vesseltracker.com/hires/2086059.jpg German Report: https://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/119277/5721508