Collision between Septimo and barge Orfeo on the River Waal
Early in the morning of August 29, a collision occurred on the River Waal near the town of WINSEN (Netherlands), involving a cargo vessel and a barge. The incident led to a partial closure of one of the country’s busiest waterways.
According to authorities, the collision happened at around 04:30 a.m. local time and involved:
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the 135-meter inland cargo vessel Septimo, en route from Rotterdam;
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the 183-meter barge Orfeo, which was part of a pair of barges traveling from Schwelgern (Germany) to Rotterdam.
During the collision, one of the Orfeo barges became stuck on the bollard of the Septimo and remained alongside. Technical crews attempted to release the barge. According to Rijkswaterstaat (the Dutch Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management), the operation was expected to take several hours.
Following the incident, the River Waal was partially closed, with restricted passage allowed under the escort of a Rijkswaterstaat patrol vessel. The causes of the accident are still under investigation.
