It will probably be possible to quickly resume navigation on the Danube River after river traffic was halted on January 30 because of an incident at the Gabčíkovo Hydroelectric Project, Roman Straka, the general director of the state-owned water-management and hydro-energy company Vodohospodarska Vystavba, told the TASR newswire.
Shipping was halted after a boat, weighing some 600 tonnes, nearly sank in the navigation channel of the hydro-electric project on the afternoon of January 30, possibly because it had not been loaded properly and was tipping over to one side, said Straka.
“We've stabilised the vessel and the freight is being transferred,” Straka reported.
The boat was to have been examined later by technicians of the State Navigation Administration (ŠPS).
“If the vessel is capable of functioning, SPS will issue special permission for it to be taken to Bratislava where it will remain until an investigation into the incident has been completed,” said Straka.
The boat was en route to Hungary from Austria and the incident was reported to ŠPS on January 30 at 14:45. All crew members were evacuated. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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