BREMERHAVEN. Unusual help took place in Bremerhaven in late February/early March: During a cruise to Oslo, the TUI Cruises’ “Mein Schiff 1” had to be towed into dock at the Kaiserhafen III, as it was no longer possible to retract a stabiliser on the cruise ship’s starboard side. It was exceptional as not only did a so-called “dock lock” have to be carried out in order to get the 316-metre ship into the port, but the whole incident took place with passengers on board. A few days later, after the stabiliser had been repaired, the cruise ship headed back to the open sea – again by means of the dock lock. This procedure is necessary to allow ships that are longer than the actual lock to pass through. Both lock gates have to be open at the same time to let the ship pass through. This presumes that the water in the Weser and in the port are roughly at the same level. This is only possible during a very small time slot due to the tide.
Credits: BREMENPORTS
