Pontoon Loaded with OW Turbine Parts Sinks Off Germany

A pontoon loaded with parts for offshore wind turbines sank on Wednesday morning (August 13) in the Baltic Sea, German media informs.

Divers are currently investigating the underwater area in front of the cape Darß where the large floating pontoon sank. They will examine whether the pontoon lays flat or upright and whether the cargo is still on it, and afterwards the type of recovery would be decided on.

“The company responsible for the transport will recover the pontoon and cargo, however, a date has not yet been determined,” a spokesman for the Water and Shipping Office Stralsund said on Friday.

The 35×11 meters large transporting pontoon sprung a leak while being towed from Stralsund towards Kiel by Bösch tug, and sank almost four kilometers northwest of Darßer Ort. The cause of the damage remains unclear.

It is presumed that the vessel is laying in a water depth of about eleven meters and, according to the waterway police, it is not in the wake of large ships, but is in place where there is sports boat traffic.

No injuries were reported in the incident.