It was only supposed to be a routine half-hour trip through the port of Hamburg:On the evening of July 28, 2004, Captain Mike K. cast off from Peutehafen with the "ENA 2" in order to move the 62-metre-long acid tanker to the petroleum port. On board the ship, which belongs to the Norddeutsche Affinerie (NA) along with the cargo, are 960 tons of high-percentage sulfuric acid. At the same time, the container ship "Pudong Senator" sets off from the Eurokai towards the North Sea. The two ships collide when they meet at the entrance of the "ENA 2" into a park port.
"ENA 2" capsizes at the quay
The crew of two of "ENA 2" just manages to maneuver the damaged ship into the petroleum port and moor it at the quay. A leak allowed water to enter the cavity between the hull and the tanks, causing the acid tanker to lose stability and capsize. When the captain is questioned, the police find that Mike K. is heavily intoxicated. An examination shows a blood alcohol level of 2.1 per thousand.
Injured by acid fumes
While the 294 meter long container giant can continue its journey undamaged, the "ENA 2" is keel up in the petroleum port. Escaping sulfur fumes cause chemical burns and irritation to nine dock workers and two police officers. Although the four tanks are undamaged, acid leaks into the water through the ventilation pipes and from there into the air in the form of steam. In order to bind these, the fire brigade sprays the harbor basin continuously with water. A compressed air-oil barrier is to secure the area around the distressed vessel. Thousands of dead fish are already floating in the water the very next day.
Danger of explosion makes recovery difficult
To prevent sulfur fumes from rising from the "ENA 2", the fire brigade constantly sprays the wreck with water.On June 29, the floating crane "Enak" arrives from Bremerhaven, which is supposed to first stabilize the wreck and finally erect it. Divers had already secured the wreck and attached hawsers for salvage. The forces fear that the ship could break apart when turning. However, the greatest danger comes from the chemicals on board. Mixing sulfuric acid with water may have resulted in the formation of highly aggressive sulphurous acid and explosive hydrogen. This assumption is confirmed in later work on the ship. The three tons of diesel in the fuel tank could also leak or react with the chemicals on board.
Delicate preparations under water
It was not until five days after the accident that the emergency services managed to get the "ENA 2" back into a swimming position. To do this, divers must first replace the explosive hydrogen gas mixture in the two front tanks with non-flammable nitrogen. The smallest sparks, even under water, are enough to cause an explosion. Four days later another floating crane arrives. After meticulous preparatory work, the two cranes were able to turn the capsized tanker centimeter by centimeter back into the swimming position on July 3rd. 900 emergency services from the fire brigade, police and special teams are involved in the five-day rescue operation.
Entire acid load ran into the Elbe
The entire load of 960,000 liters of sulfuric acid runs into the Elbe after the accident. Nevertheless, the Hamburg interior authorities assessed the condition of the ecosystem in the Elbe as "not sustainably impaired" shortly after the accident. NA CEO Werner Marnette also "doesn't believe that it was an environmental catastrophe", but admits that the accident "could possibly have been avoided." In fact, the environmental damage is limited:Due to the dilution of the sulfuric acid with the large amounts of water from the Elbe, the acid can no longer be measured outside the petroleum port a short time after the accident, according to the environmental authorities. Greenpeace spokesman Christian Bussau also considers the damage outside the port to be very low. "The petroleum port is now biologically dead anyway," he stated soberly at the time.
Captain admits to drinking whiskey
In January 2006, the case was heard before the Hamburg District Court. The public prosecutor has accused Mike K. of endangering shipping and water pollution and is demanding one year and four months in prison. According to the prosecution, the captain, who was drunk at the time, disregarded the applicable right-of-way rules. Mike K. admits to having been drinking beer and whiskey before the accident. He had already been noticed before the accident because of an alcohol problem. On June 28, his blood shows a value of almost 2.2 per thousand. As a result, the then 38-year-old loses his patent for life, regardless of the court proceedings. However, Mike K. rejects blame for the collision. The defense further states that the container ship did not provide any information about its position and that it was going too fast.
One year probation
On February 2, 2006, a good one and a half years after the accident, the court passed its verdict:the captain of the "ENA 2" was found guilty and sentenced to one year's imprisonment on probation. However, the judge found that everyone involved misjudged the situation. The captain of the "Pudong Senator" and the port pilot had assumed that, in accordance with customary law in the port of Hamburg, the smaller ship would give way to the larger one.
Hanseatic city demands zero alcohol limit
Meanwhile, the accident triggers discussions about a stricter alcohol limit in seafaring. The Hanseatic city has achieved a partial success with its initiative for a zero blood alcohol limit in seafaring in the federal government:instead of 0.8 blood alcohol levels, skippers have been "only" allowed to have a blood alcohol level of 0.5 since August 2005. However, from now on, at least in the area of dangerous goods, the zero-alcohol rule will apply.