Capsizing barges
Status :
Closed
On the night of 5 to 6 February 2015 the Rick, a self propelled inland waterway hopper barge (barge), capsized while loading spray sand on the Western Scheldt. The captain lost his life in this accident. A little over a month and a half later, on 30 March 2015, the Willem, a self propelled inland waterway hopper barge, capsized. This also took place on the Western Scheldt, also while loading spray sand. The crew of the Willem were able to abandon the ship in time. The Dutch Safety Board has investigated whether structural safety problems occur when loading spray sand on open water.