Working Conditions Aboard the Bow-Spring

On January 23, 2026, the tanker 'Bow Spring' experienced significant rudder difficulties shortly after departing from Hamburg, where it was headed towards Savannah. As the situation unfolded in the late evening, the vessel was forced to anchor in the Elbe fairway, positioned between Neuwerk and Cuxhaven. The multi-purpose ship 'Neuwerk' promptly responded to assist the stricken tanker. By the morning of January 24, the 'Bow Spring' successfully docked at berth 4 in Cuxhaven, resuming its operations.

On November 2, 2017, the tanker 'Bow Spring' encountered a troubling situation while navigating the Wester Scheldt en route from Tarragona to Antwerp. The vessel first experienced an engine failure at 8:05 a.m. just west of Terneuzen. Although the crew managed to restore engine power temporarily, a second blackout soon followed. Promptly, the ship dropped anchor and was subsequently assisted by tugboats, including the 'Braakman' (IMO: 8915457) and 'Gent' (IMO: 8409306), while the 'RWS 78' from Rijkswaterstaat provided additional guarding support. Later that day, by 6 p.m., the condition of the 'Bow Spring' warranted its towing into the Doel Dock in Antwerp, with assistance from tugs 'Tug 21' (IMO: 6503824) and 'Tug 31' (IMO: 6105142). The vessel resumed its journey from Antwerp at 9 p.m. on November 6, setting sail for Rotterdam with an expected arrival time of 4 p.m. on November 7, where it anchored at RTM Anchorage during the early hours. For further details and visual coverage, Dutch reports accompanied by photos are available here: https://www.pzc.nl/zeeuws-vlaanderen/schip-voor-terneuzen-getroffen-door-twee-blackouts~ad833e45/ and https://www.omroepzeeland.nl/nieuws/101803/Twee-black-outs-voor-tanker-op-Westerschelde.