Sudden!A barge collided with a railway lift bridge and multiple containers fell into the water
- Author:weiyun.com
- Source:weiyun.com
- Release Date:2026-03-30
On the morning of March 24, local time, an inland shipping accident occurred in the waters of the Rhine River in Germany. A self-propelled barge loaded with containers and multiple cars collided with a railway lift bridge, causing damage to the ship and multiple containers falling into the river.
The accident temporarily interrupted local waterway and railway transportation and did not cause any casualties or water pollution.
The ship involved was the 135-meter-long self-propelled barge "Progres". At the time of the incident, it was performing a cross-border container transportation mission. It departed from the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands and was destined for Karlsruhe, Germany.
The accident occurred at the 740-kilometer navigation mark on the Rhine River channel and in the waters near the port of Neuss. When the ship sailed to this area, it collided with the railway lift bridge across the river and became stuck under the bridge.
The ship's cab was severely damaged by the violent impact, and some of the containers on the ship were instantly unbalanced and fell into the Rhine River.
Source: Noyce Fire Department
In order to help the ship get out of trouble, on-site rescuers raised the railway lift bridge. During the process of raising the bridge, another container on the ship fell into the water again due to the unstable center of gravity.
After the accident, the local fire department, water police, and port emergency team in Neuss rushed to the scene to handle the incident. They simultaneously closed the waterway in the river section where the incident occurred and the railway bridge involved, and suspended navigation in surrounding waters and railway trains to prevent secondary accidents.
Crane boats and emergency work boats were deployed at the rescue site to carry out operations to locate and salvage the fallen containers, while stabilizing the remaining containers on the ship to prevent them from falling further into the river.
Most of the containers that fell into the water were empty or not loaded with dangerous goods and did not pose a threat to the Rhine River water environment.
Source: VesselFinder
The entire rescue and salvage operation took about 6 hours, and then the entrance channel of Port Neuss was the first to be restored to traffic.It is reported that the ship sailed through the container terminal before the incident. The reason for entering the port is not yet clear.
Currently, the collided railway lift bridge is still closed and will not be reopened until it passes the assessment.
In the short term, related railway freight and passenger transport in Neuss and surrounding areas will be affected to a certain extent.
The local maritime and transportation departments have launched an investigation into the accident. Preliminary judgment is that it is suspected to be related to the excessive stacking height of containers and insufficient prediction of the navigation clearance of the ship. The specific cause of the accident, ship loss and cargo damage are still under further verification.
The accident temporarily interrupted local waterway and railway transportation and did not cause any casualties or water pollution.
The ship involved was the 135-meter-long self-propelled barge "Progres". At the time of the incident, it was performing a cross-border container transportation mission. It departed from the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands and was destined for Karlsruhe, Germany.
The accident occurred at the 740-kilometer navigation mark on the Rhine River channel and in the waters near the port of Neuss. When the ship sailed to this area, it collided with the railway lift bridge across the river and became stuck under the bridge.
The ship's cab was severely damaged by the violent impact, and some of the containers on the ship were instantly unbalanced and fell into the Rhine River.
Source: Noyce Fire Department
In order to help the ship get out of trouble, on-site rescuers raised the railway lift bridge. During the process of raising the bridge, another container on the ship fell into the water again due to the unstable center of gravity.
After the accident, the local fire department, water police, and port emergency team in Neuss rushed to the scene to handle the incident. They simultaneously closed the waterway in the river section where the incident occurred and the railway bridge involved, and suspended navigation in surrounding waters and railway trains to prevent secondary accidents.
Crane boats and emergency work boats were deployed at the rescue site to carry out operations to locate and salvage the fallen containers, while stabilizing the remaining containers on the ship to prevent them from falling further into the river.
Most of the containers that fell into the water were empty or not loaded with dangerous goods and did not pose a threat to the Rhine River water environment.
Source: VesselFinder
The entire rescue and salvage operation took about 6 hours, and then the entrance channel of Port Neuss was the first to be restored to traffic.It is reported that the ship sailed through the container terminal before the incident. The reason for entering the port is not yet clear.
Currently, the collided railway lift bridge is still closed and will not be reopened until it passes the assessment.
In the short term, related railway freight and passenger transport in Neuss and surrounding areas will be affected to a certain extent.
The local maritime and transportation departments have launched an investigation into the accident. Preliminary judgment is that it is suspected to be related to the excessive stacking height of containers and insufficient prediction of the navigation clearance of the ship. The specific cause of the accident, ship loss and cargo damage are still under further verification.