Salvage of cargo ship that collided with weir near Maastricht prepared for Monday

On Monday, Rijkswaterstaat will start with the construction and preparation of the salvage of the cargo ship that collided with the Borgharen weir on Saturday. The 67-meter-long ship partially sank there.

A tugboat with a pontoon is on its way from Rotterdam to Maastricht to salvage the freighter. They are expected to be on-site on Sunday evening. As it will already be dark by then, the construction work for the salvage will begin the next day. The pontoon is needed to lift the freighter. However, it is still unclear whether the actual salvage operation can begin on Monday. According to a spokesperson for Rijkswaterstaat, care, and safety are more important than speed.

Rijkswaterstaat reports that the damage to the weir can only be investigated once the ship has been salvaged. Due to the position of the freighter, the weir cannot be fully operated. Rijkswaterstaat warns that this will lower the water level of the Meuse River near Maastricht.

The cargo ship struggled just south of the weir due to the strong current of the Meuse. It finally came to a halt in front of the weir. The two people on board were brought safely ashore. Other shipping traffic was not impeded by the collision.

The fact that there are strong currents in the Meuse at the moment is due to the heavy rainfall of the last few days. As a result, the water level in the Meuse is higher than normal. According to L1News, this contributed to the collision of the freighter, which crashed into the weir at high speed.