Press release Hamburg, June 2nd, 2021 – Publication of the investigation report on the accident of No.5 ELBE from June 2nd 2019
Stiftung Hamburg Maritim – The pilot schooner No. 5 ELBE has been back in Hamburg since October 7, 2020. After the accident in June 2019 on the Elbe with the ASTROSPRINTER container ship, all 43 passengers were rescued and brought ashore with dry feet thanks to the dedicated efforts of the rescue services from the DLRG, fire brigade and THW, as well as with the active support of the crew. The structural collision damage to the hull has now been repaired at a shipyard in Hvide Sande, Denmark. Since then, the honorary members of the association “Friends of the pilot schooner No.5 ELBE” have been supporting the reconstruction of the ship on the Bremen quay in the Hansahafen.
The traditional ships of the foundation meet the legal requirements with their safety standards and are regularly checked by the responsible authorities. There are extensive training and safety concepts for the pilot saver. All crew members go through an extensive training program that is geared to the respective areas of activity of the crew members on board. This is continuously documented and monitored by the approval authorities as part of the operational safety system. The functionaries assigned on board regularly undergo the statutory maritime medical examinations and have appropriate certificates of fitness for sea service as well as other formal qualifications required for their respective purpose.
The foundation is working intensively on the investigation report that has just been published by the Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation and evaluates the recommendations for action contained therein to increase safety standards. However, as this process will take some time, no statement can be made on the content of the report at this point in time. The foundation has always worked closely with the authorities, associations and maritime interest groups to identify further measures to improve safety on board traditional ships, to check their feasibility and to implement them on board. The Hamburg Maritime Foundation takes the safety of crew and guests very seriously and will continue to do everything to continuously improve it.
Information material on the pilot schooner No.5 ELBE can be found on the foundation’s website:
https://stiftung-hamburg-maritim.de/schiffe/no-5-elbe.html