On Friday, 18 October, salvors succeeded in pulling the inland vessel Humadivi free from the Borgharen weir, where it had been stuck since 12 October. On Saturday, water levels were sufficiently restored, allowing shipping to resume between Ternaaien and Urmond bridge.
On Saturday morning, 12 October, at around 8.30 am, the inland vessel ran into the Borgharen weir and sank. The two crew were safely evacuated. The Humadivi, 67 metres long and loaded with white sand, was coming from Bosscherveld and, sailing – at the level of the Noorderbrug in the direction of Belgium – ran into trouble due to the strong current on the Meuse.
The vessel’s aft remained under the shipping opening of the weir. This situation causes the water level in the Meuse between Belgium and Borgharen to drop and eventually shipping was suspended.
Also read: Ship at Borharen weir still stuck
Salvage attempts
On Monday, a first salvage attempt took place, resulting in a broken line. After this, the salvage attempt was abandoned.
Sand was then removed from the cargo hold and hatches were removed to lighten the ship. Still, the vessel would not move.
On 17 October, the ship got moving for the first time thanks to the installation of additional pumps and an additional winch system operated from a salvage vehicle. However, damage to one of the winch cables meant efforts had to be temporarily halted to avoid further risks.
On 18 October, using pumps on a pontoon, the salvage team was able to lighten the ship further by pumping water from sealed compartments. This lightened the vessel and allowed it to be pulled loose and removed from the weir.
Little damage to the weir
After the ship was moved, the weir could be inspected for damage. The slide in the weir was found to have little damage and was closed. The water level in the Meuse was raised in a controlled manner to allow shipping to resume quickly.
On 19 October, water levels were sufficient for shipping to resume between Ternaaien and Urmond bridge. The Limmel floodgate opened around 3 am, and by 6 am the first ships could pass again.
Picture (top): Humadivi being pulled free from the Borgharen weir (by Rijkswaterstaat).
Also read: Ship hits weir and sinks, salvage planned
