Rhine ferries “Siebengebirge” sinks near Texel
Bonn · Ferry crews express shock after the former Rhine ferry “Siebengebirge” sank in the North Sea on its way to a new owner in Finland on Sunday.
The old Rhine ferry “Siebengebirge” sank west of Texel on Sunday morning while being transported to Finland. The Netherlands coastguard secured the area around the unmanned wreck. From 1969 to the summer of 2015 the “Siebengebirge” took passengers across the Rhine between Bad Honnef and Rolandseck.
The newspaper “De Telegraaf” reported that the ferry was attached to a Polish tugboat when it started to list. The report said the tugboat was on its way from Rotterdam to Finland. The coastguard asked the tugboat to change course and to try and leave the shipping lane towards the Friesian island of Texel. Rescuers drove a rescue boat from Den Helder to the accident scene.
As the rescue boat reached the tugboat, the former Rhine ferry was already sinking. It was unmanned and no one was hurt. The coastguard said it is still unclear when the ferry will be recovered.
The old “Siebengebirge” was replaced in the summer of 2015 by its successor, which bears the same name. While the old ferry could only transport twelve cars, the new one can bring 21 to the other riverbank. The decision to replace the ferry was taken at the time because of high demand and the planned renovation of the Bonn Rhine bridges in the coming years.
On Sunday, the news that the old ferry had sunk had already spread among employees on the new “Siebengebirge”. “We are all shocked and don’t know anything yet about the cause. That must first be worked through,” said Frank Eschbach, managing director of the ferry company Honnef Pool GmbH & Co. KG. The new owner had several options for the ship after its sale. Eschbach himself said in 2015 that 46 years is no age for a boat.
(Original text: Anja Wollschlaeger and Hansjürgen Melzer / Translated by Kate Carey.)
