The Waddenvereniging is angry that even following the MSC Zoe disaster nothing has been done to prevent the same incident happening again
Translated by Thomas Ansell
As reported by the Leeuwarder Courant, stormy weather this week again showed the risks of commercial shipping north of the Wadden Islands, with the Baltic Tern losing five containers (one containing the chemical acetone), the Escape losing control in high winds; and the Eems Link almost capsizing. The Waddenvereniging, which represents both environmental interests and people that live in the Wadden area, has now started a petition against ‘unsafe shipping’ in the area.
The organisations says that shipping companies are taking “unlawful risks, considering the vulnerable nature of the North Sea and Wadden Sea” if they continue to direct enormous freighters to sail near the Wadden Islands in unsafe conditions, for example during stormy weather.
Once a suitable number of signatures has been reached, the petition will be presented to the Dutch parliament’s Tweede Kamer, where it is hoped that Minister Cora Van Nieuwenhuizen (VVD) of water and infrastructure will lead a motion that will allow the coastguard to give binding advice to container ships.
The Waddenvereniging has received support from two members of parliament for the Partij van der Arbeid (PvdA), Gijs Van Dijk and Habtamu De Hoop, who questioned Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen on Wednesday.
The petition is available to sign here.
Image: the state of Tershelling’s beaches after the MSC Zoe cargo loss in 2019. By Flickr user Ritzo Ten Cate on Wikimedia. License here.
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