The captain of an inland cargo ship that crashed into a lock gate on the Moselle River in December 2024, causing traffic paralysis for nearly two months, has been fined by a German court, reports Luxembourg Times.
Significant Penalty
A significant penalty has been issued to the captain of a cargo ship following a crash that severely damaged the Müden lock on the Moselle River in Germany on December 8. The Rhein-Zeitung newspaper, with details confirmed by both the public prosecutor’s office in Koblenz and the Sankt Goar District Court, reported that the penalty was levied after the captain was found to have “violated his duty of care” during the incident.
While the exact amount of the fine was not disclosed by the court, the order is final and cannot be appealed. A court spokeswoman confirmed that the penalty order pertains to a “misdemeanor offense for negligent endangerment of shipping traffic under Section 315a of the Criminal Code,” and a fine was imposed.
Earlier in the year, the investigation details released by the public prosecutor’s office revealed that the ship was sailing on autopilot at 12.2 km/h at the time of the accident. It was noted that using an autopilot system is permissible on the Moselle, provided the ship’s captain can intervene in the steering process at any time.
The collision resulted in severe damage to the Müden lock on the German side of the river. Approximately 70 ships were stranded following the crash, eventually being freed after a painstaking operation that lasted around three weeks.
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Source: Luxembourg Times
