General Cargo Vessel Loses Steering in Ghent-Terneuzen Canal Incident

The Ireland-flagged general cargo vessel Arklow Falcon ran aground while transiting the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal in the Netherlands on 20 August. No injuries or pollution were reported.

Vessel ARKFLOW FALCON image credit: Ghis v d Vijver

The incident occurred at around 7:00 pm local time after the vessel lost steering control and struck the bank with its bow near the Bulk Cargo Port at Terneuzen. The canal traffic remained unaffected.

At around 7:50 pm the vessel refloated under its own power and moved to Goese Quay for inspection. Initial assessments indicated that damage to the vessel was limited. According to Rijkswaterstaat, there was no leakage and no injuries were reported.

Arklow Falcon is a 2010-built vessel that measures 89.95 meters in length and 14.4 meters in width.