Status: 12/22/2022 9:39 p.m
After the oil spill, the Kiel Canal is expected to be closed to shipping until Saturday. Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt was there on Thursday.
After the oil spill in the Kiel Canal (NOK) near Brunsbüttel (Dithmarschen district), the canal will probably remain closed to shipping until Saturday. The duration of the further oil scavenging work depends, among other things, on the weather conditions, said the head of the emergency command, Robby Renner, on Thursday evening. A particular challenge is the wind, which according to the forecast is expected to turn at times during the course of Friday. The waterways and shipping office for the Kiel Canal, which gives the shipping police clearance, is currently assuming a blockage until at least 12 noon on Saturday, according to Renner. In the night on Friday, the oil spill response ships should continue to be on the canal, it said.
Oily Birds
The oil spill also has consequences for the environment. Meanwhile, birds smeared with oil have already appeared. According to the first findings of the emergency command, a low two-digit number is affected. Schleswig-Holstein’s Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt (Greens) got an idea of the situation on Thursday afternoon. “The situation is serious. There is oil in the water. There is too much oil in the water. The emergency services are working hard and dedicated. I am really very grateful for that,” he said.
THW and oil spill response ships on site
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According to evaluations of aerial photographs, an amount of about twelve cubic meters of oil in the water is now assumed, said the spokesman for the emergency command, Benedikt Spangardt. Environment Minister Goldschmidt spoke of an oil slick that had spread over six kilometers. According to the CCME, it is not yet known how much has escaped from the pipeline and possibly seeped away. Three oil spill response ships have been in action on the NOK since the night: the “Neuwerk”, the “Scharhörn” and the “Knechtsand”, he said. “We’ve already picked up a lot of oil. And there are numerous helpers on the bank – especially from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief – who are picking up the washed up oil.”
“Don’t release too soon” to protect the oceans
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Ships have been backing up in front of the locks since Wednesday. According to the CCME, around 30 ships were approaching one of the canal locks on Thursday evening or were waiting in the canal to continue their journey. The ship steering of the NOK informs all shipping companies and the captains about the current status. “You can’t release too early, it’s about something very valuable – the protection of our seas and the Wadden Sea,” said Environment Minister Goldschmidt. “It is important to get the oil out so that it cannot enter the North Sea or the Elbe.”
100 volunteers remove contaminated soil
Work is also continuing on land. There, a good 100 volunteer members of the fire brigade and technical relief organization (THW) are busy removing the contaminated soil.
Temporarily increased risk of explosion
A kilometer-long oil slick near Brunsbüttel (Dithmarschen district) was discovered on Wednesday. In order to prevent the oil film from spreading further, the NOK traffic center had the locks closed on Wednesday morning, according to the emergency command. Such a situation is therefore not without danger: Crude oil is very volatile and outgasses quickly. As a result, there was at times an increased risk of explosion in the immediate vicinity of the leak, as measurements by the CCME showed. On Wednesday afternoon, emergency services discovered damage to a crude oil pipeline on land. The flow of oil was soon stopped. In order to seal the leak completely, the oil-soaked soil still has to be removed.
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