Fish sandwich cutter sank again in Stralsund – oil barriers in use!

Fish sandwich cutter sank again in Stralsund – oil barriers in use!

In the picturesque harbor of Stralsund, a cutter that used to sell fish sandwiches sank again. This incident occurred on Monday morning when port officials noticed the ship was on the bottom. The fire brigade, quickly notified, reacted quickly and set up an oil barrier to prevent possible environmental damage. Fortunately, the water police found that no dangerous operating materials were initially escaping from the cutter, apart from some frying oil that had leaked out. The city is in constant contact with the owner of the ship and wants to discuss the next steps with him on Tuesday, as ndr.de reports.

The cutter, a relic from the former GDR fishing fleet, lies diagonally on the quay wall near the island of Dänholm in the Strelasund. A witness observed a critical change in the ship and then alerted the emergency services. Despite an initial intervention by the fire brigade and the Technical Relief Agency (THW), who were initially unable to detect any abnormalities, it later emerged that the cutter had become tilted and thus led to the water becoming contaminated. In the following days, the THW went out to combat pollutants and installed oil barriers as the water pollution became more and more serious, as nordkurier.de adds.

A historical legacy and its challenges

The cutter, known as “Rudolf Virchow”, was built in Barth in 1952 and was an integral part of the GDR fishing industry until it was decommissioned in 1989. It could store up to 10 tons of fish and was originally intended to be sold to Kaliningrad, but this failed due to a lack of documentation. In recent history, the ship was made to wave for the first time in 2019 - a sad result for a cutter with such a history.

While the incident in the port of Stralsund caused a stir, the environmental context also remains relevant. Fishing and environmental protection are in constant tension. An intact environment is crucial for fishing, which in turn influences the environment through its practices. This classic cycle is illustrated by the need for sustainable fishing to preserve fish stocks and habitats in our oceans. According to bmleh.de, the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive is an important instrument for protecting the resources of our waters.

What's next?

It remains to be clarified for the city of Stralsund what will happen next with the cutter. It is expected that concrete decisions will be made at the upcoming meeting with the owner. It remains to be seen whether the ship will be salvaged or whether other measures will have to be taken. What is clear is that the incident not only represents a technical challenge, but also highlights the responsibility we have for our waters and their protection.