Fifteen people were injured after two ships collided in the Baltic Sea off Germany on Tuesday, February 19.
The incident occurred shortly after 07:30 local time when the Danish-flagged windfarm crew transfer vessel (CTV) World Bora and the Cyprus-flagged cargo ship Raba collided at a point some three nautical miles from the island of Rügen.
No one was reported hurt among the cargo ship's crew. However, all 15 occupants on the CTV were injured in the collision, 10 of them severely.
Raba sustained damage to its starboard side with its bulwark pushed inside and torn open while the shelter on World Bora's port side bow was nearly completely torn off.
Despite the damage, the CTV was nonetheless still capable of sailing under its own power and had managed to reach the Sassnitz-Mukran ferry port shortly after the collision.
Rescue boats, helicopters, paramedics, and firefighting teams arrived on scene at the port to render assistance. Five of the CTV's occupants had to be rushed to various hospitals via helicopter due to the severity of their injuries.
One of the injured individuals had become trapped in World Bora's wheelhouse, forcing rescuers to cut the structure open to ensure a safe extrication.
Germany's Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation has begun its probe of the incident.