A mast broke off on a charter ship while it was underway on the IJsselmeer with about twenty German schoolchildren. No one was injured.
The accident happened yesterday afternoon on a two-master, in the middle of the IJsselmeer. The ship, the Unicorn, was on its way from Lemmer to Enkhuizen. The ship is now moored in the latter place. The police report that the mast has been seized for investigation.
The rear mast is still up. Photos show that the mast is damaged at the top. The aft mast may have been hit when the mainmast broke. Often the masts are connected with a line.
It is not yet clear what exactly went wrong. The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) is conducting an investigation. A spokesperson expects more to be known next week.
Wood rot
A year ago, a 12-year-old girl was killed in a similar accident on a charter ship. Then the boom broke off, as it turned out later due to wood rot. As a result of that accident, the ILT has investigated the certificates of the so-called ‘brown fleet’.
That inspection showed that several ships did not have the certificates in order. The ship, of which a mast has now been broken off, did have the necessary certificates, according to a list from the inspection.
- Sailing ship from Harlingen, on which the girl died, should not have set sail
- Parents of girl who died on sailing ship hold shipping company liable
- Fatal accident with sailing ship was due to wood rot in boom
