On Monday evening, August 4 (with some media reports stating it was Tuesday), the container ship “Maersk Gironde” collided with the car carrier “SFL Composer” while both vessels were navigating a busy area of the Danish Strait. The Danish Maritime Authority reported that both vessels have been detained for further inspection and investigation.

The collision occurred shortly before midnight local time in the deep-water channel near Funen on the eastern coast of Denmark. This is a busy waterway leading to the Baltic Sea. Danish authorities reported that both ships sustained "significant damage" above the waterline. Fortunately, no injuries or pollution have been reported.

Images from Danish media show that the 200-meter-long car carrier "SFL Composer" had a large dent and a hole starting about three-quarters of the way from the stern on its side. The “Maersk Gironde” sustained damage to its bow.

Vessel Information

The “Maersk Gironde,” built in 2002, serves on a Nordic shuttle service. The 61,600 DWT, 4,800 TEU container ship was en route from Wilhelmshaven, Germany, to Gdansk, Poland, at the time of the incident.

According to Maersk, the vessel has been anchored and is awaiting approval to continue its journey, with its next port of call delayed.

The “SFL Composer,” built in 2006 with a capacity of 6,500 CEU, is reportedly operating under a lease agreement with Volkswagen, according to SFL Corp. Images show the ship being assisted by two Svitzer tugboats, and AIS data indicates the vessel is being moved to the Port of Odense.

As planned, authorities conducted an underwater inspection of the vessels on Wednesday morning. The Danish Maritime Authority did not comment on the circumstances or weather conditions at the time of the accident.