Status: 08/19/2022 5:05 p.m
The lighthouse is still standing at the entrance to the fishing port in Bremerhaven. However, since the north pier has sunk, it has been in a crooked position. Sonar devices should check the stability of the pier.
The devices are installed in an autonomous underwater vehicle belonging to the German Aerospace Center (DLR). As a DLR researcher said, the sonars can create a 3D image of the wall on which the lighthouse stands. This makes it clear whether the wall is still intact or how extensive the damage is. The police said on Friday that the mole had not dropped any further.
Experts are to examine the dome
The red dome of the leaning lighthouse is to be examined on Saturday, as the port operator Bremenports announced. Two cranes are to be used for this purpose, which are set up on a floating platform. Experts are said to be lowered to the dome in work baskets. They should find out whether and how the listed dome can be detached from the masonry of the tower. If no new problems arise and the lighthouse is still standing, the dome will be dismantled at the end of next week. The tower will then be demolished. Yesterday there was talk that the dismantling could begin as early as this weekend.
Port operator: Wooden piles probably gave way
The pier had sunk on Thursday night. The sagging was not foreseen, said Robert Howe, the managing director of Bremenports. “Nevertheless, we have known for a number of years that the stability of the pier and, of course, the stability of the tower is at risk.” The pier and the pier head on which the tower stands are built on wooden posts. Investigations showed that these had been lost under the pier. That is why the pier was closed to visitors. However, since the pier head was once additionally secured with sheet piling, the wooden piles could not be examined there, Howe explained. At low tide, the piles would have apparently failed there.
Mayor sees responsibility in the Senate and Bremenports
Bremerhaven’s Lord Mayor Melf Grantz (SPD), however, sharply criticized. “If you wanted to be cynical, you could say: That was a disaster with an announcement. For years I have urgently pointed out to those responsible in the Senate and at Bremenports the need to renovate the north mole, but unfortunately nothing visible happened,” said the town hall – Boss on Thursday. “What has happened now harms the city of Bremerhaven.”
Ships and ferries are running again
On Thursday evening, the shipping traffic that had been blocked since the morning at the entrance to the Geeste River and the fishing port for commercial shipping and the Weser ferry from Bremerhaven to Nordenham (Blexen) was released again. The Geeste flows into the Weser at the tip of the pier. Ferry traffic on the Weser was not restricted.
According to the city, the lighthouse, which began operating in 1914, has been a listed building since 2001. The north mole is owned by the State of Bremen, the tower with its active beacon belongs to the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration.
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