Two Bows, One Embankment: The Ghent-Terneuzen Groundings of August 2025
Two ships struck the same embankment in August 2025. Here's what you need to know and do.
Both crews reported losing control of the rudder. Neither grounding has been formally explained yet. Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch water authority, is looking at them together.
Background
The Ghent-Terneuzen canal links the port of Ghent, Belgium, to the Westerschelde estuary, and it carries heavy commercial traffic. It's a canal, so there's no sea room. A steering fault you'd catch and correct in open water can put your bow into the bank within a ship length or two.
Two groundings hit the same stretch of embankment in August 2025, three weeks apart, both reportedly tied to loss of rudder control. Rijkswaterstaat is investigating both together.
August 7: Primula Seaways
The DFDS RoRo Primula Seaways (200 metres, 14,000 dwt) was arriving from Gothenburg, Sweden, when she lost control near Terneuzen and drove her bow into the embankment.
What's confirmed:
- She stayed aground for three hours before tugs freed her.
- Her bow was damaged.
- The rock and earthwork lining the canal bank was also damaged.
- No cause has been published.
August 20: Arklow Falcon
The Irish-registered general cargo ship Arklow Falcon (90 metres, 4,972 dwt) was inbound for Ghent when, around 6:45 p.m. local time near Terneuzen, she lost control of her rudder, veered off course, and struck the embankment at an angle to the shipping lane.
What's confirmed:
- Rijkswaterstaat was notified and had a Multraship tug and a patrol boat on scene by 7:15 p.m., roughly seven minutes later.
- Within the hour, the ship backed off the embankment under tug assistance and was escorted to anchorage for inspection.
- Per Rijkswaterstaat, no injuries and no serious damage.
- The report doesn't say whether she was laden or what speed she was carrying.
- No cause has been published.
Comparing the two
Response time and outcome. Seven minutes from notification to tug alongside for Arklow Falcon. Three hours aground for Primula Seaways. Why the difference? Size, angle on the bank, tug availability, we don't know yet. Don't guess.
Damage. Arklow Falcon walked away with no serious damage, per Rijkswaterstaat. Primula Seaways took damage to her bow and the canal bank took damage too. Same failure mode, very different bill.
The common thread. Both crews reported losing rudder control before grounding. That's the only link between the two. Nothing published yet says whether they share a root cause, mechanical, procedural, or otherwise, and Rijkswaterstaat investigating both together tells you the authority hasn't landed on an answer either.
What's still open. No published cause for either incident, and no confirmation of Arklow Falcon's loading condition, speed, or recent steering gear tests. It's also unclear what changeover procedure was running between autopilot and manual or emergency steering at the time.
What this means for you
Check your steering gear tests and changeover drills. Two groundings, same stretch, three weeks apart, both linked to reported loss of rudder control. Operators should review steering gear testing and changeover procedures between autopilot and manual or emergency steering before entering confined water, especially given this pattern.
Drill your emergency steering until it's automatic. In the Arklow Falcon case, the gap between losing control and hitting the bank looks too short for the crew to correct course. If your emergency procedure means a phone call, a walk to the steering flat, and manual wheel engagement, rehearse that sequence until nobody's working out who does what mid-crisis.
Treat the cause as unresolved. Rijkswaterstaat's investigations into both groundings are still open, so no common cause is confirmed. If you're transiting this stretch, brief as though the question is still live. Keep tug options and abort points current in your passage plan. Don't assume an answer lands before your next trip through.
Be ready for a routine transit to turn into a salvage job. Primula Seaways sat aground for three hours, with damage to both ship and bank, before tugs pulled her free. Know your mooring and towing gear, and know your own vessel's tug connection points, before you're anywhere near port.
Bottom line
Same embankment, three weeks apart, both crews reporting loss of rudder control: that's confirmed. The outcomes weren't close, seven minutes and no serious damage for Arklow Falcon, three hours aground with damage to ship and bank for Primula Seaways. No cause published for either. Rijkswaterstaat investigating both together means the matter's still open. The one thing worth carrying onto the bridge is this: a canal like this one gives you seconds, not minutes, once you lose the rudder.
Source: 1 Rijkswaterstaat reporting and incident statements, as cited.