A recently restored wooden sailing ship sunk as it collided with a container ship in Hamburg. Because of the quick response of five rescue boats which where in the area when the accident happened, all 43 passengers were rescued.
The two ships collided on the River Elbe after a failed tack led the sailing ship into the container ship.
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Thanks to the quick response from five rescue boats, all passengers were rescued immediately. These boats were in the area due to another minor accident that had take place a few hundred meters away. Commenting on the incident, a fire service official, Wilfried Sprekels, told local media that if the boats were not there, then there could have been fatalities.
Despite all passengers being rescued, the ship sank, while the boats dragged it to shore.
During the last nine months, the sailing ship was renovated with new outer wooden planks and a new stern, which costed €1.5m. After the renovation, the ship continued taking visitors on tours around Hamburg’s harbour at the end of last month.
Despite the collision, there is a chance that the ship could sail again.
