Accident aboard acid ship forces closure of the Rhine

A ship carrying 1,800 tons of nitric acid caught fire on the Rhine on Wednesday, forcing the waterway to close to traffic and schools to be evacuated.

The blaze was caused by an accident at a dock owned by the chemicals giant Bayer AG in the city of Krefeld, about 13 miles (20km) north-west of Dusseldorf, the company said. A pipeline on the Dutch ship broke while the acid was being pumped off, allowing the corrosive liquid to seep inside the vessel and eat through the hull. Fire broke out on the vessel, which took on water and later settled on the riverbed at the dock side.

No one was hurt, although the authorities immediately closed the river to traffic in both directions. Four schools and eight nurseries in the surrounding area were closed as a precaution.

Air pollution measurements showed there was no danger to people living near by, according to officials in Krefeld. They were unable to determine so soon after the accident how much acid had leaked from the ship, but other boats were standing by to pump out the remaining liquid once the flames had been extinguished.