On Friday morning, 9 September 2022, MF Shipping Group’s mv Helge was involved in a collision off the coast of Denmark. The ship had suffered considerable damage, but on Wednesday 21 June, after months of repair work, the vessel is ready to sail the seas again.
The collision occurred in the North Sea 20 nautical miles west of Ringkøbing, Denmark, in heavy weather. The other vessel involved was the Wild Cosmos, a 149.92-metre reefer built in 1998 sailing under the flag of the Bahamas, which could continue its journey after the incident.
The 89-metre Helge, which sails under the Dutch flag, was built in 2013 and is owned by Erik Thun AB, suffered significant damage and was taking on water. The vessel was on its way from Antwerp in Belgium to Porsgrunn in Norway. The seven crew members had to evacuate the vessel in a liferaft. The Danish Navy then rescued the crew from the liferaft by helicopter.
Also read: How Dutch coaster Helge was salvaged after collision and crew evacuation
Niestern Sander carries out repairs
The repairs were carried out at Royal Niestern Sander at the docking sites in Farmsum/Delfzijl. Bart Volgers, managing director of Royal Niestern Sander, looked back on the moment when the Helge docked during the festive handover. He well remembers the pictures of the heavily damaged ship.
MF Shipping Group (the ship’s manager) awarded the contract to the local shipyard and on 15 November 2022, the Helge arrived at the shipyard – towed by village member Amasus – for extensive repairs.
Picture by MF Shipping Group.
Also read: Niestern Sander to repair mv Helge that was damaged in collision
