Catastrophe has knocked on Lürssen shipyard’s door yet again. Several news portals are reporting that a massive 426-foot superyacht named Project Alibaba, collided with a drydock gate at the shipyard’s Bremen site. Nord-West Media TV reported that the accident occurred on Thursday, December 7, with the yacht hitting the doors from the inside. This could have been due to an error in opening the doors to let the yacht out. Fortunately, with a shipyard of this scale, the right measures were immediately taken before matters escalated, although one employee was injured in the process.
Lürssen released the following statement: ‘Immediately after the incident, the shipyard initiated all necessary evacuation measures and informed the relevant authorities. The accident scene was secured together with the police and the Bremen fire brigade. One employee was slightly injured during the incident and was immediately treated by the emergency services.’ A large entourage of rescue workers was present on-site for damage control, including a helicopter, water rescue units, and fire brigade teams.
There were sightings of a bridge breaking and falling into the water and of a person also falling into the water; however, the latter was not confirmed by the police and fire department. In July 2023, ongoing welding work on the hull of a superyacht caused a massive fire at the Lürssen Lemwerder shipyard. At the time, a prompt team of 95 firefighters reached the scene of the mishap quickly and extinguished the blaze. This mishap cost Lürssen around $110,000.
The superyacht embroiled in the recent incident was 423 feet long with a 9000 gross tonnage, making it one of the largest yachts under construction. Per Buten un Binnen, the under-construction ship, Project Alibaba, is worth $450 million.
