Oil in the sandcastle: The Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation Agency (NLWKN) and the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies announced in a joint press release that a simulated oil spill at the Kugelbake was combated in Cuxhaven on 11 April.

A collision off Cuxhaven, heavy oil in the harbour basin and a threatened coastline: as part of a large-scale practical oil spill exercise on Saturday (11 April), the THW, DLRG and the City of Cuxhaven's Information and Communication Unit, together with the Havariekommando and the Lower Saxony State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation (NLWKN), rehearsed for an emergency in the event of a complex pollutant spill. During the all-day exercise in the construction harbour at the Kugelbake, a lot of special equipment was used on land, at sea and in the air.

The latest exercise in Cuxhaven on Saturday focussed on testing beach cleaning equipment. The scenario: Following a collision between two ships off the coast, around 70 cubic metres of heavy fuel oil drifted towards the Kugelbake due to the current and south-easterly wind - and thus into the construction harbour, among other places. After reconnaissance of the affected areas and a comprehensive briefing on site, the 60 or so emergency crews and observers were then mainly occupied with collecting the simulated oil/water mixture and oil/sand mixture and temporarily storing it in quickly constructed containers. Among other things, so-called skimmers were used to remove the oil - special equipment for collecting the oil, most of which floats on the water. The helpers also laid out oil booms to ensure that the oil remained in place and did not drift any further.

Aerial reconnaissance

The emergency response team also used the exercise scenario to gain further practical experience in aerial reconnaissance: Parallel to the beach cleaning exercise, it carried out a drone-based reconnaissance exercise with drone groups from various aid organisations.

In addition to the oil damage specialist group and the platoon of the Cuxhaven THW local organisation, three THW drone teams from Delmenhorst, Holzminden and Cloppenburg, the Cuxhaven DLRG local group and representatives of the Cuxhaven City Council's information and communication specialist unit were also involved in the exercises in the construction harbour. At the end of the exercise, the NLWKN and the Havariekommando thanked all those involved for their great commitment and professional joint efforts.