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Barge got stuck on rocks and ice floes
On the afternoon of Feb 3, 2026, numerous emergency responders were called to the Mittelland Canal near Pollhagen, affer the 'Saranda' was reported to have sprung a leak and was in danger of sinking in the harbour area. Firefighters from the municipalities of Niedernwöhren, Stadthagen, and Petershagen, supported by the German Life Saving Association (DLRG) and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), responded with a large contingent. The Pollhagen fire department was also deployed with a multi-purpose boat, as were the fire departments of Meerbeck-Niedernwöhren, Nordsehl-Lauenhagen, and Stadthagen. The DLRG positioned several boats, and the Petershagen-Lahde fire department from North Rhine-Westphalia provided additional support with another multi-purpose boat. The district fire department's communications unit deployed a drone for reconnaissance. Approximately 100 emergency personnel were on site at times to assess the situation. After the arrival of the first responders, the inland vessel, located approximately five meters from the shore, was reached using the Stadthagen fire department's aerial platform. The reported risk of water ingress proved unfounded, allowing the incident commander to significantly reduce the number of personnel deployed. Divers from the German Life Saving Association (DLRG) inspected the vessel and determined that it got stuck aground on rocks and ice floes while it was being loaded. The barges 'Juntos' and 'Ideal II' went alongside the 'Saranda', which was stuck about five metres from the quay in pos. 52° 23' N 009° 11' E. The scene was handed over to the water police, which took over further operations. After about four hours, the last emergency personnel were able to leave the scene. Reports with photos: https://www.schaumburger-wochenblatt.de/frachtschiff-droht-im-mittellandkanal-bei-pollhagen-zu-sinken--grosseinsatz-der-rettungskraefte/cnt-id-ps-501e06bf-1fd2-4014-abaf-1db32b903104 https://www.ndr.de/nachrichte https://www.sn-online.de/lokales/schaumburg/niedernwoehren/alarm-auf-dem-mittellandkanal-in-pollhagen-schiff-sitzt-auf-stein-und-eis-fest-YP3T4DVE5FFSZFSDODHJAK7SVY.htmln/niedersachsen/hannover_weser-leinegebiet/im-eis-festgefahren-schiff-laeuft-in-hafen-auf-grund,pollhagen-104.html
Stuck barge freed itself
The 'Saranda', which had got stuck in the port of Pollhagen (Schaumburg district) on the Mittelland Canal on the evening of Feb 3, has since freed itself. The ship had loaded wheat at the silo facilities in the Pollhagen port, operated by the RLB Raiffeisen-Landbund eG, and became stuck while maneuvering from the quay. The initial plan was to unload some of the cargo, but it could not be unloaded from the port's quay. Therefore, a dredger was deployed from Lohnde (Hanover region), and the wheat was to be transferred to another ship. To clear the way for the dredger to Pollhagen, two icebreakers were also deployed bys the Uelzen Waterways and Shipping Authority. The Mittelland Canal was to be completely closed between Rusbend and Sachsenhagen (Schaumburg district) for the duration of the work. The dredger, however, was not used, as the 'Saranda' got lose and berthed in Minden on Feb 4.
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