Status: 12/21/2022 7:14 p.m
The NOK is completely closed to shipping due to oil contamination. In the afternoon, a leak in a pipeline was discovered and closed.
The Kiel Canal (NOK) has been closed since Wednesday morning due to oil pollution in the area of the Brunsbüttel locks (Dithmarschen district). This was announced by the Havariekommando Cuxhaven, which took over the operations management on site on Wednesday morning. Accordingly, the pollution is between the Brunsbüttel oil port and the locks – the lock chambers are also affected. In front of the lock, a kilometer-long trail of oil ran across the water surface at times.
Environment Minister wants to get information on site
In order to prevent the oil film from spreading further, the NOK traffic center had the locks closed in the morning, according to the emergency command. Such a situation is not without its dangers: 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, according to measurements by the CCME. Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt (Greens) wants to find out more about the oil contamination on Thursday.
Rescuers discover a leak in a pipeline
According to the emergency command, small amounts of oil were noticed on the water last Friday. Accordingly, measures to combat pollution were initiated at the weekend together with THW and the fire brigade. However, the cause was unclear up until then.
On Wednesday afternoon, emergency services then discovered damage to a crude oil pipeline on land. Large quantities of crude oil are said to have entered the canal when the pipeline was used. How many cubic meters it is exactly is being determined. Samples are also taken and analyzed on site. In the meantime, emergency services have been able to stop the flow of oil into the canal. According to the information, the oil-soaked soil still has to be removed in order to completely seal the leak.
Pipeline damage triggers Grand Deployment
According to the emergency command, forces from the State Office for Coastal Protection, National Park and Marine Protection (LKN), the THW local branches in Meldorf, Kiel, Pinneberg and Hamburg as well as fire brigade and police units are currently on site to combat the pollution.
Accordingly, the oil is now being sucked off from the country. According to the Havariekommando, four work boats are in use on the water – oil booms have also been laid out to prevent further spread. In addition, the multi-purpose ship “Neuwerk” and the oil spill response ship “Knechtsand” are currently on their way to Brunsbüttel, according to the spokesman.
Traffic jam on the canal route
Since the Kiel Canal is initially closed to all shipping and ferry traffic, there is currently a traffic jam: According to the CCME, eleven ships are currently still on the canal. In addition, twelve more ships are waiting in front of Kiel and seven ships in front of Brunsbüttel.
The emergency command did not want to give any information in the afternoon about how long the operation will last. It will definitely not be done in two or three hours.
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