The Ministry of Defence has dispatched around one hundred soldiers to help pick up the debris spilled from the MSC Zoe, and regional ferry companies are offering discounted tickets to encourage people to come to the islands and pitch it on the clean-up effort.
Translation by Traci White
UPDATE: 10:51 a.m., Friday, 4 January
According to Sikkom, the Qbuzz bus company is offering free round trip tickets throughout the weekend between the city of Groningen and Lauwersoog for people travelling to the islands to help in the beach clean-up.
Original story follows below:
Between Friday and Sunday, ferry operators Doeksen and Wagenborgen are offering discounted “Strandopruimticket” (beach clean-up tickets) from Holwerd and Lauwersoog to Ameland and Schiermonnikoog on Friday. Through the 6th of January, the special tickets will be 6.05 euros for adults and 3 for children.
The Doeksen line will have a clean-up day ticket to travel between Harlingen and Vlieland or Terschelling. On Saturday, a dedicated clean-up day will be held on Terschelling between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., starting at Heartbreak Hotel. As of Thursday evening, 250 tickets had been sold, and a peak in sales is expected on Friday. The ticket campaign was initiated by the World Nature Fund, The Natural Monuments Foundation, the Wadden Association and the municipality of Terschelling.
Military support
Omrop Fryslân reports that the mayors of Terschelling and Schiermonnikoog had submitted a request to the Ministry of Defence to send reinforcements for the massive clean-up efforts: the debris field is spread across 10 kilometers on the beaches of the islands, and each high tide brings in new waves of goods.
Peroxide on Schiermonnikoog
The northern mainland coastline has also been impacted, including the Eemshaven, Lauwersoog and Moddergat in Friesland. Omrop Fryslân reports that at least one 25 kilo bag of the more hazardous variant of organic powdered peroxide had washed onto the beach on Schiermonnikoog: the substance is flammable and bodily contact should be voided. The peroxide is manufactured by Nouryon, and there are likely around 279 bags of the substance still unaccounted for.
Correction: An earlier version of this article referred to hundreds of soldiers coming to the islands. As of Friday, around 100 soldiers had been dispatched to the region.
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