What Crew Members Say About Eco-Levant

On the evening of February 11, 2026, at precisely 10:02 p.m., the cargo vessel 'Eco Levant,' navigating from Kotka to Rotterdam, was involved in an allision with the newly constructed southern lock of the Kiel Canal in Kiel-Holtenau. This incident occurred as the vessel attempted to enter the lock, resulting in minor damages to both the ship and the lock's masonry. Following this event, the new southern lock was temporarily closed for an investigation. Fortunately, by 1:02 a.m. on February 12, 'Eco Levant' was cleared to resume its journey towards Brunsbüttel, and the lock has since returned to operational status. This incident marks yet another mishap in the Kiel Canal, as it follows a previous occurrence on January 16, where the same vessel experienced engine failure, leading to it becoming lodged in the canal embankment.

In the early hours of January 16, 2025, the containership 'Eco Levant', making its way from Antwerp to Kiel, encountered a critical engine malfunction while navigating the Kiel Canal's eastbound route. This unforeseen failure caused the vessel to deviate from its intended path and become lodged against the northern embankment close to the pilot station in Rüstersbergen (Latitude: 54.2386, Longitude: 9.6088). As the situation unfolded, the canal authority swiftly took action, initiating a complete shutdown of the waterway, preventing any vessels from entering or passing through. Consequently, a total of 20 ships found themselves halted on both sides of the grounding. The tug 'Holtenau' (IMO: 8200321) was dispatched from Kiel just before 2 a.m., while the tug 'Fairplay 66' (IMO: 9036258) departed from Brunsbüttel around 4 a.m. UTC. Fortunately, the 'Fairplay 66' was stood down after the 'Eco Levant' was successfully refloated, allowing it to return to its home port. By 8 a.m., the tug 'Holtenau' managed to refloat the distressed vessel, which was directed to berth at the heavy load port of Rendsburg-Osterrönfeld by 9:20 a.m. Here, officials from the water police boarded the ship to conduct further investigations into the incident. After executing necessary repairs to the hydraulic system and receiving a re-confirmation of its classification from DNVGL, the 'Eco Levant' resumed its journey that same evening at 10 p.m., with an estimated time of arrival at its final destination on January 19. For additional reports, photos, and videos, please visit the following links: [NDR](https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/NOK-Containerschiff-bei-Breiholz-in-Boeschung-gelaufen,containerschiff560.html) [Tagesschau](https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/schleswigholstein/ndr-nok-containerschiff-bei-breiholz-in-boeschung-gelaufen-100.html) [Lomazoma](https://lomazoma.com/nord-ostsee-kanal-schiff-in-uferboeschung-getrieben/) [Mopo](https://www.mopo.de/im-norden/schleswig-holstein/havarie-im-norden-containerriese-stellt-sich-auf-kanal-quer-vollsperrung/) [Shipspotting Photo 1](https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/3799247?navList=gallery&category=39&page=1&viewType=normal&sortBy=newest) [Shipspotting Photo 2](https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/3799246?navList=gallery&category=39&page=1&viewType=normal&sortBy=newest)