The incident occurred on 25 June, when the ship was carrying timber from Riga, Latvia, to Wisbech in Cambridgeshire.
The captain of the 22-year-old vessel, registered in St. Kitts and Nevis, reported the grounding at approximately 08:49 BST. The ship was refloated with the help of tugs 11 hours later, according to the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB).
The Baltic Arrow ran aground in the River Nene after its pilot attempted to correct the ship’s course as it prepared to berth. Investigators found that the pilot, who had been helming the vessel for two hours, over-corrected, causing the bow to swing to starboard and the stern to become wedged across the river due to the flood tide. The MAIB report noted a possible lapse in concentration and identified ineffective communication between the ship's bridge team.
The Wisbech Harbour Authority has launched an independent inquiry and is reviewing the suitability of vessels for transits to and from the port. A spokesperson explained that all berths at Wisbech are NAABSA (Not Always Afloat But Safely Aground) berths, meaning vessels routinely ground at low water on the soft riverbed.
This was the second such incident involving the Baltic Arrow and its sister ship, the Baltic Express, which ran aground in February 2023. In response, the ship’s operator, Galleywood Shipping, is considering adding an additional bridge watchkeeper and reviewing the ship’s rudder capabilities.
