Reef

With rudder hard to port and full astern the master of the "Mar Elena 1", which was carrying a cargo of vacuumized gasoil, had tried to avoid the collision with the Polish flagged barge "Ella", 1107 ts (EU-No.: 04004810), but the ship finally smashed into the barge in the Rethe Basin in the morning of Jan 20 at 3 a.m. The "Ella" had backed from the Kali Quay into the turning basin to give space for another ship. The fact that the tanker had already turned a bit reduced the damage a bit, as it hit only with the starboard foreship, but not with the bow. Water poured into the breached cargo hold which was loaded with 1100 tons wheat, and the ship started to list. At least three leaks were torn into the hull. In the run of the day the whole cargo was lightered onto barges while the ship was getting dewatered continuously. Divers investigated the leaks and where able to patch them temporarily. The forepeak and engine room were not affected by the flooding. In the evening the "Ella" was so far secured that she could proceed to a repair yard in Hamburg-Harburg. The investigations regarding the cause of the accident were going on, drug tests of both masters were negative. The tanker left Hamburg on Jan 21 at 3.40 a.m. bound for Oxelösund with an ETA of Jan 22.

On Jan 20, 2015, at 3.11 a.m. the "Mar Elena 1" was in collision with the barge "Ella" on the Rethe which is connecting the Reiherstieg and the Köhlbrand in the port of Hamburg. The "Ella" had left her berth at the Kali Quay to make room for another ship. When she back off sternwards it got into the turning basin and hit against the tanker which was just about to sail. The "Ella" suffered water ingress in the foreship and the engine room. It was towed to the Kali Quay in Wilhelmsburg where the cargo of wheat was lightered. The fire rescue was on scene with up to 36 men and two boats, dewatered the "Ella" and thus kept it from sinking. The "Mar Elena 1" which had come from Kattwyk and was bound to Oxelösund berthed at warehouse 76/77 in the Ellerholz Port at 4 a.m. German reports with photos: http://www.kn-online.de/Schleswig-Holstein/Aus-dem-Land/Hamburg-Binnenschiff-kollidiert-mit-Tanker http://www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/polizeimeldungen/article136556681/Tanker-und-Binnenschiff-kollidieren-auf-der-Rethe-im-Hafen.html http://www.mopo.de/polizei/hafen-hamburg-schiffs-crash-mit-tanker--binnenschiff-leckgeschlagen,7730198,29614782.html