The Rhine River fully reopened to shipping on Monday, one month after a tanker carrying sulfuric acid capsized, closing shipping lanes in the busy German waterway, Reuters reported.
The Waldhof sank on Jan. 13 near the narrowest stretch of the river. Over the weekend, salvage crews worked to remove the ill-fated tanker from the shipping lane.
The tanker was carrying about 2,600 tons of dangerous acid, which made the salvation particularly challenging.
Instead of risking the rupturing of the ship, which would have released a massive acid shock to the ecosystem, authorities decided that they would opt for allowing a slow leak, thus giving the river a chance to dilute the acid as it seeped into the water, according to German newspaper Deutsche Welle.
Two crew members survived, but the bodies of the other two still have not been recovered.
The Waldhof sank on Jan. 13 near the narrowest stretch of the river. Over the weekend, salvage crews worked to remove the ill-fated tanker from the shipping lane.
The tanker was carrying about 2,600 tons of dangerous acid, which made the salvation particularly challenging.
Instead of risking the rupturing of the ship, which would have released a massive acid shock to the ecosystem, authorities decided that they would opt for allowing a slow leak, thus giving the river a chance to dilute the acid as it seeped into the water, according to German newspaper Deutsche Welle.
Two crew members survived, but the bodies of the other two still have not been recovered.
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