What Crew Members Say About Piz-Alvier

On the evening of January 3, 2018, the vessel 'Dolfijn' (IMO number: 02324337), weighing 2,066 tons, suffered substantial damage after colliding with a pillar of the Baudouin Bridge while navigating the Meuse River towards Liège. The incident prompted an immediate closure of the bridge as traffic was rerouted to the Europe Bridge. Following a thorough inspection by the Operational Directorate for Mobility and Waterways of the Public Service of Wallonia (SPW), the bridge was deemed safe to reopen by the morning of January 4. Despite challenging conditions including darkness and strong currents resulting from recent heavy rainfall, inspectors found that only a few facing stones on one of the bridge's pillars were dislodged, allowing for repairs at a later date. The 'Dolfijn,' piloted by a Czech captain, experienced catastrophic damage, losing its wheelhouse and suffering the destruction of several deck installations. Subsequently, the vessel docked downstream at the Ampsin Dam bridge, where a mobile crane was deployed to clear debris from the main deck. For further details, you can view the French video report here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6cmqaq and more information can be found at http://www.sudinfo.be/2029080/article/2018-01-04/huy-la-peniche-qui-a-heurte-le-pont-baudouin-est-fortement-endommagee-video.