Yesterday evening, the Waterways and Shipping Directorate announced via the Elwis electronic messaging system that the bridge cannot currently be opened due to a technical defect ( here go to the ELWIS message). It is not yet known how serious the problem is and how long the repair will take.
The closure is fatal for crews who want to sail around Rügen, as the closed bridge completely blocks the way in and out of the Strelasund. Anyone wanting to enter the Greifswalder Bodden from Stralsund currently has to sail north-east around Rügen, and the same applies in the opposite direction. That's almost 40 nautical miles more distance, which can cause quite a few problems, especially for charter crews who have to bring ships back to Breege or Stralsund today or tomorrow.
