Wangerooge - Run aground: Freighter blocks harbor entrance to North Sea island for hours
A fixed-position coastal cargo ship blocked the harbor entrance of Wangerooge on Tuesday morning, thereby temporarily halting shipping traffic to and from the North Sea island. The ferry service was temporarily suspended. With the early afternoon high tide, the ship was refloated and taken to a berth in the island harbor, as reported by Stephan Hellwig, head of shipping at the Waterways and Shipping Administration Weser-Jade-North Sea in Wilhelmshaven. The ship is to be examined there in detail.
The Danish-flagged coastal cargo ship "Amanda" had intended to leave the harbor towards Wangerooge in the night to Tuesday and had run aground in the process. The cause was likely a navigational error by the captain, Hellwig said. No one was injured. The ship appeared to be undamaged based on initial findings. No pollutants had been released.
For tourists who now want to start their vacation on the easternmost of the inhabited East Frisian Islands, the wreck came at an inconvenient time. Ferry departures to and from Wangerooge were canceled for the morning, as a spokesperson for the German Railways stated. The railways operate the ferry service in partnership with a subsidiary. In addition to the departures of the large passenger ferries, those of the fast ferry "Wattsprinter" were also canceled. Ferry service was scheduled to resume in the afternoon.
Wangerooge: Cargo ship "Amanda" runs aground
The 81-meter-long coastal cargo ship had loaded stones for the repair of the decking at the island, according to the Waterways and Shipping Administration. It had sailed from Emden to Wangerooge for this purpose.
"It happens occasionally that ships get stuck in the Wadden Sea," said Hellwig. Such incidents are a normal part of business, as ships or ferries get stuck approximately two to three times a year, the spokesperson added.
It also frequently happens that ferries get stuck in the Wadden Sea between the mainland and the East Frisian Islands. The usually harmless accidents are often caused by low water levels, especially during easterly winds, changes in the shallow and narrow channels, and shifts in sand and silt due to tides, currents, and storms.
- Local news headlines in Germany reported on Tuesday about the General average of the cargo ship "Amanda", which ran aground near the harbor entrance of Wangerooge, a North Sea island.
- The cargo ship "Amanda" was carrying stones for the repair of the decking at Wangeroogoje and had sailed from Emden when it ran aground.
- The cargo ship's grounding temporarily disrupted the ferry service from local news, with cancellations of both large passenger ferries and the fast ferry "Wattsprinter" to and from Wangerooge.
- Despite the incident, Stephan Hellwig, head of shipping at the Waterways and Shipping Administration Weser-Jade-North Sea in Wilhelmshaven, mentioned that such navigational incidents occur approximately two to three times a year in the Wadden Sea area.
