diff --git a/source/de/anomic/index/indexCollectionRI.java b/source/de/anomic/index/indexCollectionRI.java
index 0aca8b3df..31f6e5f61 100644
--- a/source/de/anomic/index/indexCollectionRI.java
+++ b/source/de/anomic/index/indexCollectionRI.java
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ public class indexCollectionRI extends indexAbstractRI implements indexRI {
     public indexContainer getContainer(String wordHash, Set urlselection, boolean deleteIfEmpty, long maxtime) {
         try {
             kelondroRowSet collection = collectionIndex.get(wordHash.getBytes(), deleteIfEmpty);
-            collection.select(urlselection);
+            if (collection != null) collection.select(urlselection);
             if ((collection == null) || (collection.size() == 0)) return null;
             return new indexRowSetContainer(wordHash, collection);
         } catch (IOException e) {
diff --git a/source/de/anomic/plasma/plasmaSearchEvent.java b/source/de/anomic/plasma/plasmaSearchEvent.java
index 3670a1eaf..8e5bb0c5f 100644
--- a/source/de/anomic/plasma/plasmaSearchEvent.java
+++ b/source/de/anomic/plasma/plasmaSearchEvent.java
@@ -136,7 +136,8 @@ public final class plasmaSearchEvent extends Thread implements Runnable {
                 searchThreads = yacySearch.searchHashes(query.queryHashes, query.prefer, query.urlMask, query.maxDistance, urlStore, rcContainers, rcAbstracts, fetchpeers, plasmaSwitchboard.urlBlacklist, snippetCache, profileGlobal, ranking);
 
                 // meanwhile do a local search
-                indexContainer rcLocal = localSearchJoin(localSearchContainers(null).values());
+                Map searchContainerMap = localSearchContainers(null);
+                indexContainer rcLocal = localSearchJoin((searchContainerMap == null) ? null : searchContainerMap.values());
                 plasmaSearchResult localResult = orderLocal(rcLocal, timeout);
                 
                 // catch up global results:
@@ -166,7 +167,8 @@ public final class plasmaSearchEvent extends Thread implements Runnable {
                 lastEvent = this;
                 return result;
             } else {
-                indexContainer rcLocal = localSearchJoin(localSearchContainers(null).values());
+                Map searchContainerMap = localSearchContainers(null);
+                indexContainer rcLocal = localSearchJoin((searchContainerMap == null) ? null : searchContainerMap.values());
                 plasmaSearchResult result = order(rcLocal);
                 result.localContributions = rcLocal.size();
 
@@ -179,7 +181,7 @@ public final class plasmaSearchEvent extends Thread implements Runnable {
     }
 
     public Map localSearchContainers(Set urlselection) {
-        // search for the set of hashes and return the set of containers containing the seach result
+        // search for the set of hashes and return a map of of wordhash:indexContainer containing the seach result
 
         // retrieve entities that belong to the hashes
         profileLocal.startTimer();
diff --git a/source/de/anomic/plasma/plasmaWordIndex.java b/source/de/anomic/plasma/plasmaWordIndex.java
index 89d77761e..30d2dcf8b 100644
--- a/source/de/anomic/plasma/plasmaWordIndex.java
+++ b/source/de/anomic/plasma/plasmaWordIndex.java
@@ -361,6 +361,7 @@ public final class plasmaWordIndex extends indexAbstractRI implements indexRI {
     }
 
     public Map getContainers(Set wordHashes, Set urlselection, boolean deleteIfEmpty, boolean interruptIfEmpty, long maxTime) {
+        // return map of wordhash:indexContainer
         
         // retrieve entities that belong to the hashes
         HashMap containers = new HashMap();
@@ -375,7 +376,7 @@ public final class plasmaWordIndex extends indexAbstractRI implements indexRI {
                 //if ((maxTime > 0) && (remaining <= 0)) break;
                 if ((maxTime >= 0) && (remaining <= 0)) remaining = 100;
             
-                // get next hash:
+                // get next word hash:
                 singleHash = (String) i.next();
             
                 // retrieve index