Read Authentic Ratings for the Bernhard-Schepers

On February 1, 2023, at approximately 14:00 UTC, the MV 'Bernhard Schepers' successfully continued its voyage, setting its sights on Kotka with an expected arrival on February 3. However, the northern lock will stay closed for shipping until noon on February 3. Divers worked diligently on February 1 to remove various obstacles, allowing the lock gate to be properly closed and balanced, paving the way for future vessel traffic.

In the early hours of February 1, 2025, at 6:27 a.m., the cargo vessel 'Bernhard Schepers', traveling from Bremerhaven to Kotka, experienced an allision with the central tail and gate niche of the newly constructed north lock at the Kiel Canal, located in Brunsbüttel. The mishap occurred under challenging circumstances due to dense fog as the ship was making its way into the waterway for an eastbound passage. Following the incident, the vessel has been secured within the lock chamber at coordinates 53° 54' N, 009° 09' E. Authorities have initiated an investigation into the accident while the ship remains docked in the lock, which has rendered the lock gates immovable.

On October 4, 2015, at 3:07 a.m., the cargo vessel 'Bernhard Schepers' ran aground along the embankment of the Kiel Canal. The incident occurred while the ship was navigating from Hamburg towards Schwartenberg amid dense fog. The canal helmsman lost orientation, mistakenly guiding the ship too close to the northern shore. This miscalculation caused the vessel's stern to be pulled against the embankment, forcing the bow to swing towards the southern side and become wedged against the area near the Levensau Bridge. As a result of the grounding, the Kiel Canal was immediately closed to all passing traffic for four hours. Efforts to refloat the 'Bernhard Schepers' using its own power were unsuccessful, prompting the deployment of tugs 'Stein' and 'Kiel' from Kiel for assistance. The tugs successfully refloated the vessel, which was then docked at East Shore Port in Kiel at 6:40 a.m. for divers to conduct an inspection. After the necessary evaluations, the 'Bernhard Schepers' resumed its voyage at 10:40 a.m. and arrived in Fredericia at 7:00 p.m., before finally continuing its journey to Malmö at 11:00 p.m. Following the grounding incident, ships experienced waiting times of up to 12 hours in the Kiel Canal due to a backlog of vessels queuing during the closure.