A drunk woman driving a cargo ship rams a lock on the Upper Rhine

German maritime police said a cargo ship rammed a lock gate on the Rhine River near Karlsruhe, causing damage amounting to 1.5 million euros.

According to the prosecutor's office, the incident occurred due to the fact that the helmsman was intoxicated

She was not the captain, but was co-cox at the helm when the accident occurred.

A police spokesman said things would have been different after a glass of beer but the woman was intoxicated, without mentioning her blood alcohol level

The ship was heading from Basel to Karlsruhe when it crashed into a closed lock gate on the Rhine River

At the time of the accident, there was another ship in the lock, but, fortunately, no one was injured, and both ships continued their voyage

Repairs could take up to a year, as new sluice gates will have to be custom-made. Passage along the Rhine is difficult and delays are expected