collision on dutch canal

[byron]

Cargo ship and Dutch passenger ferry collide in canal


AMSTERDAM | Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:28am EDT
(Reuters) - Dutch emergency services were searching for survivors after a cargo ship collided with a foot passenger ferry in a shipping canal south of Amsterdam Friday morning, police said.

The accident shut down shipping traffic on the canal as rescuers looked for ferry passengers who might have been thrown into the water, news agency ANP reported. The captain of the passenger boat was reported missing.

The accident took place near the town of Nieuwer ter Aa about 30 km (20 miles) south of Amsterdam in the busy Amsterdam-Rhine Canal.

The 72 km long canal was built to connect the port city of Amsterdam to the Rhine, a major European shipping artery. Foot passenger boats in the Netherlands are usually smaller than normal ferries.

 

[byron]

There's now more details and photos here:-
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ghter-smashes-Dutch-ferry-near-Amsterdam.html

 

[Ramage]

Nasty....Shades of the Marchioness/Bowbelle incident.

 

[Brayman]

Not surprised, the Amsterdam-Rhine canal is the hairiest stretch of water I have ever been on. The size of the transporters and the bow waves they set up are quite frightening.

This one was somewhere around where the accident occurred and I couldn't even get it all in frame:

 

[pheran]

I agree with Ian. The A-R canal is an absolute nightmare. I have used it on numerous occasions and have never felt totally comfortable. Its bad enough in good weather when you can at least see the 3000 tonne freighter that is trying to run you down at 10-12 knots but in the fog...................