Neuwerk

The "Neuwerk", which was supposed to keep the shipping channel to the LNG terminal in the port of Mukran, off the coast of Rügen, ice-free, had to be taken out of service due to a technical defect, which caused a loss of power, so that the ship was no longer sufficient to break the ice, on Feb 13, 2026. The "Neuwerk" had to return to the port of Mukran due to the damage to the main generator, according to the Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA). A specialist then inspected the icebreaking multi-purpose vessel. It was also unclear how long the repairs would take and when the "Neuwerk" could be back in service. The ship shifted to Rostock on Feb 15. Technicians were called to investigate the damage. The ship left Rostock on Feb 17, headed to Cuxhaven with reduced power and speed, where it arrived on Feb 18 at 6 p.m. One of the three generators of the MTU 16 V 595 TC 50 main engines was defect. As another of the auxiliary engines had already been removed for repairs, only one had been left. Tugs were since being used to clear the ice. Because a thick layer of ice made the port of Mukran inaccessible to LNG tankers for several days, the "Neuwerk" was transferred from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea to clear the shipping channel. In return, Germany's largest Baltic Sea icebreaker, the "Arkona" (IMO: 9285811) was sent to the North Sea. Now, the smaller, chartered tug "VB Bremen Fighter" (IMO: 9321287) had to keep the shipping channel to the port of Sassnitz ice-free. On Feb 11 the LNG carrier 'Maran Gas Nice' (174,295 cbm) was escorted from Mukran through the ice. The Greek-owned vessel completed its delivery to the terminal at Mukran. The 'Minerva Amorgas' (174,000 cbm) was holding offshore, waiting for the ice conditions to be addressed so that the ship has enough clearance to reach the floating terminal, which might not be until Feb 17 or 18, while Germany’s gas storage levels were at their lowest point since 2013. The Deutsche ReGas insisted that the supply was secured under very challenging conditions that appeared to be leaving little margin for the supply. Report with photo: https://lngprime.com/europe/deutsche-regas-mukran-fsru-remains-operational-despite-challenging-weather/177741/

On Dec 9, 2020, the 'Neuwerk' was sent to the North Sea area at the White Bank, where Dutch fishermen had reported sunk containers, around 200 kilometers from the Elbe estuary. The fisherman Jelle Hakvoort had detected objects on teh bottom 90 miles north of Schiermonnikoog on Dec 3. first detected objects near the top of the bank with sonar. This perception was confirmed again on a second approach. He quickly hauled up his nets but did not save the sonar images. For their part, two colleagues located at least four containers. There was a large container ship spotted not far from the spot. The ‘Maersk Munich‘ came into the focus, having been in the area on the voyage from Bremerhaven to Gothenburg on Dec 3, having its speed reduced and headed northwards at slow speed. In the afternoon she regained speed and berthed in Gothenburg on Dec 5. She was currently at the APM Terminal in Aarhus. The Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk denied any possible involvement. All their captains were asked whether they had lost cargo in the past few weeks, but no corresponding report was received. The investigation was continued in close contact with the German authorities. No earlier than Dec 10, the water and shipping authoritiy in Cuxhaven expected more precise information about the objects on the seabed.

After a collision with a quay in Cuxhaven, the "Neuwerk" left the port on Oct 1, 2016, bound to the Peters Werft in Wewelsfleth, where the ship is being docked for repairs since.

The "Neuwerk" took the wreckage of a 60-m-rotor blade, which broke off from a wind turbine in the offshore park Northsea East about 35 kilometers north of Heligoland, first to the port of Heligoland on June 20, 2015, then to Bremerhaven. After the accident on June 19, all 48 plants have been closed down temporarily. The exact circumstances were being be investigated now. The damaged facility was not yet removed by operator RWE. Meanwhile, parts of the wind farm which started working only on May were again in operation. German report with photo: http://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/Rotorblatt-in-Windpark-vor-Helgoland-gebrochen,windpark410.html