The Ever Given’s prior form…

Image: SCA.
Image: SCA.

2019 collision in which the ultra large container ship, Ever Given, collided with a ferry in Germany was also blamed on strong winds, but no misconduct was found.

Publisert Sist oppdatert

The ultra large container ship, Ever Given, that has just been re-floated after six days aground in the Suez Canal, was involved in a collision with a small German ferry in 2019, reports Trade Winds. The collision was also blamed on high winds, as was the vessel’s grounding last week.

German media revealed that the boxship hit the small ferry, Finkenwerder, on the Elbe river in Hamburg on 9th February in that year. The smaller vessel naturally came off worse and although no passengers were aboard at the time, her skipper was slightly injured.

A police investigation found no piloting error and determined the master of the Ever Given was surprised by high winds. Shoei Kisen, the vessel’s owners, also blamed high winds for the grounding last week and the subsequent blocking of the Suez Canal, but experts say high winds may not be enough to explain the incidents. A hydrodynamic phenomenon known as the bank effect may also have contributed to the accidents.

Data analyst for Concirrus, James Whitlam said: “The average wind speeds at the time are well within normal operating conditions. If there was a sustained gust, sustained being the important word, then this could potentially start to impact a vessel of this size and windage [air resistance].”

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