WANGEROOGE (dpa-AFX) – Politicians and environmental associations in Lower Saxony are concerned about the accident of the container freighter “Mumbai Maersk” in the North Sea off Wangerooge. “Our Wadden Sea is an extremely sensitive and particularly valuable natural area,” said State Environment Minister Olaf Lies (SPD). The accident shows “that we have to constantly work on improving the protection of our coasts against accidents caused by harmful substances”.
Lies accused the federal government of slowing down the discussion about more safety in shipping traffic off the coast. In the event of a storm, large ships should take routes further away from the coast, the minister demanded. The federal government is responsible for shipping regulations. The 400 meter long freighter ran aground on Wednesday evening. Salvage teams hope to get him back on the water with powerful tugs during the night of Friday when there is a high tide.
The nature conservation association Nabu called for political action to improve the prevention of ship accidents. The unique Wadden Sea and its associated islands must be protected from lost cargo and the entry of pollutants, said Lower Saxony state chairman Holger Buschmann./fko/DP/ngu
Leverage must be between 2 and 20
No data