Ferry Vegesack fights with breakdown: Weserverkehr in danger!

Ferry Vegesack fights with breakdown: Weserverkehr in danger!

The ferry company Bremen-Stedingen (FBS) currently has to deal with significant problems that severely affect ferry operation on the Weser. Managing Director Ralf Kölpin describes the situation as challenging. Currently, several ships have failed, which significantly reduces the number of journeys and continues to pollute the environment. An oil accident that has affected the usability of one of the ships and technical defects on two other ferries contribute to the tense location. In particular, the “vegesack” has set its service because the ramp is no longer able to stand up, and the ship hung on the investor while the vehicles have to be carefully unloaded.

Special difficulties called for the “Vegesack” crew on this day, which had only been put into operation two days ago after a previous failure. A valve has been replaced, but the problem does not seem to be resolved. "Vegesack" is now quiet and is waiting for a technician to take care of the hydraulic system. The crew of the "Lemwerder II" supports in this tense situation, which shows that a large degree of cohesion is necessary to cope with the crisis. A replacement ship-the "Rönnebeck"-should be stepped in and used on the Vegesack-Lemwerder route, but had to run between Blumenthal and Motzen at short notice, which further complicates the situation.

technical problems and an accident in golzwarten

Another incident that occurred at the ferry pier in Golzwarten shows how fragile the situation is currently. In the case of a mooring maneuver, a FBS ship slipped due to the carelessness of the ship leader and set itself on the ferry ramp. Although there were no injuries, the ferry threatened to tip away due to the ebbstrom. However, thick holding builders were able to secure the ship, and the ferry operation remained unhindered. It was only with the flood that the ferry was only able to swim up again after three hours. Expert from the Germanic Lloyd examined the ship and did not report any serious damage to the hire. Nevertheless, this incident shows the fragile circumstances with which the FBS is currently struggling. The oil defense exercise, originally planned for the ferry, had to be moved to the Midgard port of Nordenham.

outlook and future measures

Kölpin has already drawn up a plan in the event of further delays in the repair work. This provides for a reduction in ferry connections between the Berne and Farge as well as between Vegesack and Lemwerder to minimize the effects on passenger transport. In particular, the ferry "Stedingen", which has suffered damage to the flap and has to go to the shipyard to repair, could affect the company even more. Kölpin hopes for a quick repair date, which is expected to take place on Tuesday.

The ferry company Bremen-Stedingen therefore faces a serious challenge that includes both technical difficulties and unforeseen incidents. In this situation, not only technology is required, but also the cohesion and the flexibility of the crews involved. In the coming days, it will be shown which measures the FBS will take to maintain the operation and not let the passengers down. The people in the region are now looking forward to solutions that could improve the situation.

The situation is not only important locally, but also fits into a larger picture of maritime challenges that the industry is confronted with, as reports on other ship accidents and their circumstances show, as reports [bsu-bund] (https://www.bsu-bund.de/en/news/laufend examinations_node.html)