The investigation reveals that the ship was sailing in autopilot during the Moselle river accident

The ship that crashed into a locking door on the Moselle River in December, paralyzing traffic for almost two months, sailed in autopilot at the time of the accident.

The details of the investigation into the cause of the accident have been released by the Koblenz public prosecutor’s office, and reveal that the ship was sailing in autopilot at 12.2 km/h at the time of the accident.

It is allowed to navigate with an autopilot system in the Moselle whenever the captain of a ship can intervene in the management process at any time, said the prosecutor’s office.

“Why the ship’s captain did not intervene is subject to additional investigations,” the office said in his statement to the German news agency DPA.

No evidence was found that the ship’s captain consumed alcohol or drugs, said the prosecutor’s office, while a report obtained showed that there was no engine damage or ship controls.

“Video recordings also show that the ship was traveling without stopping until it reached the door of the lock,” the office said.

The Müden lock on the German side of the river suffered serious damage to the collision that involved a cargo ship on December 8. Around 70 ships were stranded after the accident and were Finally released after a thorough operation lasting about three weeks.

Ships have only been able to travel through repair Block again from Saturday.

(This article was originally published For the must of Luxemburger. Translation, editing and adaptation of Audrey McGaw)