Check out this animation from Genscape Vesseltracker showing the AIS track of the 366-meter containership CSCL Jupiter when it ran aground on Monday in the Scheldt river near Antwerp.

The video shows the CSCL Jupiter left the dock at the port Antwerp at 0600 UTC (8 a.m. local time) and was underway under its own power when it ran aground about 50 minutes later while navigating a series of turns in the river.

Later in the video, you can see the massive effort to refloat the vessel during the high tide at around 9 p.m. I counted 13 tugs were used to wiggle the CSCL Jupiter free. The Antwerp Port Authority said 17 tugs were involved in the operation to refloated the ship.

Remember, here’s a look at CSCL Jupiter’s bow during low tide yesterday:

As a result of CSCL Jupiter’s grounding, all shipping traffic to and from the port of Antwerp was suspended, essentially closing Europe’s second busiest port for the day.

Monday’s ground is the latest involving an ultra-large containership (ULCV) running aground in North Europe, and will without a doubt add to concerns over regional capabilities when it comes to responding to major incidents involving the new megaships.

In February 2016, the 399-meter CSCL Indian Ocean, one of the largest containerships in the world, was stuck for five days after running aground on the Elbe River near the port of Hamburg. The vessel was eventually refloated thanks to an unusually high spring tide and with the help of more than a dozen tugboats.

The article appeared in gCaptain 15/08/2017