"Chipolbrok Moon" on its 85th voyage
With a freight volume of almost 23,900 t, 9,600 t of which were steel products, and after a stopover in Antwerp, the MS "Chipolbrok Moon" arrived in Hamburg on its 85th voyage. The draught was already close to the permitted loading mark so that the vessel had to slow down to wait for the high tide on the River Elbe to be sure to reach its berth safely.
The most difficult part is always the crossing of the old Elbe tunnel on the way to the berth in the eastern part of the harbour. This limits the loading capacity of the large heavy cargo ships visiting Hamburg.
The ship had a tight time-table: it was scheduled to quickly pick up another cargo, including two heavy units of 135 t each, destined for the port of Phu My in Vietnam and the country's oil industry.
As always the safety of ship and cargo was the first priority, particularly as a voyage across the bay of Biscay and the Indian Ocean in autumnal weather lay ahead. (cd)