The cruise ship of the Breda Association De Zonnebloem has been restored and ready for the canal again. The ship became involved in a collision at the end of March. The damage was great and all journeys until the end of June were canceled. At the beginning of July, the first passengers can go on holiday with a physical disability. “We’re going to make it a party.”
Because the collision has had a major impact on the crew of the ship, the association decided to start with a sort of test run. The first journey has a slightly different form.
“The first trip is planned for July 7. There will be around 45 young people instead of the seventies as normal. Because the demand for care among young people is greater because their limitation is innate or because they have had an accident, we have decided to take two volunteers per passenger,” says a spokesperson for De Zonnebloem.
The ship sails during the first trip from Arnhem to Duisburg, to Gouda and then back to Arnhem via Nijmegen. On Saturday the passengers are back from their vacation.
Collision
De Zonnebloem became involved in a collision in Germany on Saturday 29 March. The 69 passengers, 65 volunteers and fifteen crew members on board were released. The skipper of the cargo ship that supplies against the Sunflower, tested positively on alcohol consumption and was fired by the shipping company that he had hired.
The collision created a large hole in the hull. Many things were also broken on board the ship due to the blow. The repair work lasted eleven weeks and were quite a job. “A 3D photo was made of what the ship was like. Then the front was sawn away and completely rebuilt,” said the spokesperson.
It was exciting for the association whether the ship could sail again on time. “We still had to wait for the system that makes doors waterproof, but this worked.”
The spokesperson should not say how much the repair work has cost. There is still a lawsuit against the owner of the cargo ship who is supplying against the Sunflower over liability.