German icebreaker Neuwerk halts Baltic mission after technical fault

An icebreaking multi-purpose vessel tasked with keeping a shipping channel open to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal near Rügen has been forced to suspend operations after developing a technical fault.

The vessel Neuwerk had been working to keep the navigation route to the LNG terminal at Mukran Port free of ice, but Germany’s Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsamt (WSA) said the ship was forced to return to harbour on February 13 after a defect was discovered, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

A specialist has since examined the icebreaking vessel, though officials have not disclosed details about the damage. It also remains unclear how long repairs will take or when the ship will be able to resume service. According to an online tracking portal, the vessel set a course for Rostock on the afternoon of February 14.

The Neuwerk had recently been transferred from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea after thick ice made Mukran harbour inaccessible to LNG tankers for several days.

Germany’s largest Baltic icebreaker, Arkona, was sent in the opposite direction to support operations in the North Sea. In the meantime, a smaller chartered tugboat, VB Bremen Fighter, has been assigned to keep the channel leading to Sassnitz Harbour clear of ice.

The disruption has further delayed the docking of the LNG tanker Minerva Amorgos. The vessel has been waiting for around a week in an ice-free zone in the Baltic Sea off Rügen while crews attempt to secure safe passage to the terminal.

 By Aghakazim Guliyev