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Coast off Heligoland
Photo: Wolfgang Diederich / imagebroker / IMAGO
A freighter unable to maneuver has triggered an emergency operation on the North Sea near Heligoland.
As the emergency command in Cuxhaven announced late Tuesday evening, the 132-meter-long "Royal II" had been drifting west of the island in the German Bight since the late afternoon after a machine failure in strong winds.
An emergency tug took the ship on its hook, and salvage experts were also flown in with a federal police helicopter.
Accordingly, two of the specialists were dropped on the distressed vessel to check the emergency towing connection with the tug "Nordic".
At around 10:30 p.m., the crew of the freighter managed to restart the ship's drive.
The CCME then relinquished management of the operation.
A government-owned multi-purpose ship, equipped for emergency operations, was to accompany the "Royal II" for safety reasons.
On the way from Denmark to Cuxhaven
According to the maritime operations center, the general cargo ship flying the Panamanian flag was on its way from Esbjerg in Denmark to Cuxhaven with parts of the wind turbine.
There were 20 people on board, and the ship had not loaded any dangerous goods.
On the North Sea, there were strong winds of seven and four meter high waves at the time of use.
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During the operation, an emergency doctor and two paramedics from the Kiel fire brigade were flown to Helgoland with a marine helicopter to ensure the safety of the rescue workers.
According to the CCME, they were ready there for any assistance.
The authorities maintain a network of special ships and teams of experts for maritime relief operations along the coasts.
The emergency command, operated by the federal and state governments, takes over the command of operations in the event of major damage.
lmd/AFP
