Inland Freighter Strikes Willemsbrug Bridge, Drops Containers

On September 11th, at approximately 8:45 AM local time, an inland motor freighter, the Nijmegen Max, collided with the Willemsbrug Bridge in Rotterdam. The impact caused five containers to fall into the Nieuwe Maas River. Fortunately, there were no injuries, though the bridge did sustain some damage.

The containers, which fell into the river, began drifting towards the Van Brienenoordbrug Bridge. Witnesses reported that the floating containers created a hazard for other vessels, forcing the next ship to stop in order to avoid a potential collision.

According to the Port of Rotterdam Authority, four of the containers were recovered from the water, while the fifth, which had sunk, was later located on the riverbed.

A spokesperson for the Port Authority indicated that the accident might have been caused by an error on the part of the vessel’s captain in estimating the bridge’s height clearance. An investigation into the captain’s actions is currently underway.

This incident marks the second time in six months that a vessel has collided with the Willemsbrug Bridge. On March 1st, the Monika Deymann also struck the bridge, losing three containers in a similar accident.