The Nieuwemeers lock on the Schinkel in Amsterdam has been blocked for days. The problems were caused by a malfunction of the lock. That fault has now been resolved, but because oil is now floating in the lock, the shipping traffic is still at a standstill.
Many skippers have been waiting for days before they can continue sailing. “I’ve been here since Saturday morning,” says a skipper who has to bring wheat to the Frisian town of Drachten with his freighter. According to the skipper, it was already known on Saturday that there was oil in the Nieuwe Meer. the panic in the city of Amsterdam,” he says with a quip.
To clean up
According to a Waternet employee, the Rijnland Water Board is responsible for solving the problem. Rijnland says that a specialized team has been deployed to clean up the oil as quickly as possible. They expect the problem to be resolved before tomorrow.