Oil spill on Kiel Canal

Following the oil spill in the Kiel Canal (NOK) near Brunsbüttel (Dithmarschen district), the canal will remain closed to navigation at least until Wednesday (28.12.). According to evaluations of aerial photographs, about 12 cubic metres of oil are believed to be in the water, said Spangardt (spokesman of the emergency command). Environment Minister Goldschmidt spoke of an oil slick that had spread over six kilometres. Some ships have been dams in front of the locks since Wednesday. At times, about 30 vessels were approaching one of the canal locks or lying in the canal waiting to continue their journey, according to the CCME.

The NOK’s shipmaster informed all shipping companies and captains of the status. “You cannot let go too early, it is about something very valuable – the protection of our seas and the Wadden Sea,” he said. The spokesman said about 120 emergency services and three special vessels are still involved in combating the oil. The busy Kiel Canal was closed on 21 December after large amounts of oil leaked due to a leak in a pipeline. The canal between Kiel on the Baltic Sea and Brunsbüttel at the mouth of the Elbe in the North Sea is considered the world’s busiest man-made seawater route.