British Bulker Ran Aground in France and Got Refloated
On December 17, a British cargo ship Citius ran aground along the banks of Seine, between Le Havre and Rouen, while proceeding upstream.
The 288 meters long bulker reportedly lost propulsion due to engine failure at Seine meander, between Le Havre and Rouen, France and remained adrift. The ship got stuck at the height of the buoy of Quillebeuf and local authorities were alerted. The tugs immediately sent from Port-Jérôme initially failed to salvage the ship.
The authorities of the Grand Maritime Port of Rouen then decided to send six tugs: four from Le Havre, two from Rouen and later that evening the stern was pulled out of the mud. The low tide hampered the maneuver in the early evening and all the connected tugs, the “Rmt Penfret”, “Vb 21 Fecamp”, “Vb Beauville 26”, “Vb Gascogne 22” and “Vb Yport 12”, had to wait till 10:30 p.m. to get the bow off with the rising tide, which was caught in the sand.
On December 18, around 0:10, the Abeille Liberté was able to perform its trailer socket maneuvers and pulled the vessel back into deeper water. Later Citius was ferried to the port of Radicatel, where it was docked safely for inspection.
The traffic on the Seine between Le Havre and Rouen was blocked and some congestion reported due to grounding, but the traffic was reported normal after refloating the bulker.
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Source: Préfecture maritime de la Manche et de la mer du Nord
