The former navigation ship “Solthörn” was sold by Elsfleth to a new owner in the Netherlands. The exact intended use remains unclear, even scrapping is possible.
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Brake/Elsfleth – The former WSA navigation vessel “Solthörn” had to make a weather-related stopover in Brake for several days on the way from Elsfleth to Kampen in the Netherlands, towed by the Dutch tug “Police” from NLD-Towage. According to Marikom managing director Tobias Albert, the ship, which most recently belonged to the Maritime Competence Center in Elsfleth (Marikom), was sold to a new owner in the Netherlands. There is still no concrete information about its further use there, even whether the now 57-year-old ship will be scrapped Ships are not excluded.
The 33 meter long and 5.55 meter wide “Solthörn” was built in 1967 at the Abeking & Rasmussen shipyard in Lemwerder for the Bremerhaven Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA) as the navigation boat “Solthörn”.
Christian Eckardt
The 33 meter long and 5.55 meter wide “Solthörn” was built in 1967 at the Abeking & Rasmussen shipyard in Lemwerder for the Bremerhaven Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA) as the navigation boat “Solthörn”.
Christian Eckardt
The 33 meter long and 5.55 meter wide “Solthörn” was built in 1967 at the Abeking & Rasmussen shipyard in Lemwerder for the Bremerhaven Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA) as the navigation boat “Solthörn”.
Christian Eckardt
The 33 meter long and 5.55 meter wide “Solthörn” was built in 1967 at the Abeking & Rasmussen shipyard in Lemwerder for the Bremerhaven Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA) as the navigation boat “Solthörn”. Equipped with two MTU diesel engines with an output of 405 kW each, it reached a speed of 13.5 knots. It was in use from the Bremerhaven location on the Lower and Outer Weser until the end of 2008 to maintain the lighthouses as well as the fixed and floating navigation signs and was then replaced by the new “Alte Weser” building.
The “Solthörn” was then auctioned off in 2009 for 182,000 euros via the federal collecting society (VEBEG) and was named “Thor” or “Nante” by various owners. To this day, however, the ship still bears the old name “Solthörn” on the bow. The ship's name refers to a former lighthouse and today's guide light in the mouth of the Weser. After converting it into a powerless pontoon at the former Elsfleth shipyard, Marikom towed the ship in 2015 and docked it at the pier in the Hunte for training purposes.
