Captain accidentally pumps diesel into the Danube

The captain of a passenger ship accidentally pumped several liters of diesel into the Danube. The captain actually wanted to drain water from a ballast tank to rebalance the ship, the police said. But instead of pure water, there was a mixture of water and fuel in the tank. Police suspect that between 1,000 and 5,000 liters of the mixture ended up in the river.

Drone footage from the fire department showed that an oil film about 400 meters long had formed on the Danube from the pier to the top of the town. Firefighters set up oil barriers on the river. Because of the low water level, the Danube flows more slowly than usual, so the fuel does not spread as quickly.

According to the police, the fuel from the ship flying the Swiss flag could still be clearly smelled further downstream in the city. According to the information, the smell may persist in the old town in the coming days.

Investigators were initially unable to estimate what impact the incident had on the environment. It also remained unclear why diesel was stored in the ballast tank. The police started the investigation.