Many permanent berth holders in Schleswig's city harbour were wide-eyed when they received the bill for their berth in the last few days: The prices have risen drastically in some cases. "We used to pay 1,150 euros for our berth, now it's supposed to be 1,800 euros. We have lodged an objection to this," reports YACHT reader Claudia Witt, for example.
But they and their jetty neighbours can now breathe a sigh of relief: Wolfgang Schoofs, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Schleswig, which operates the harbour, has just told YACHT in a telephone call:"We will suspend the price increase and will not take one euro more from our customers this year than before." The invoices that have already been sent out will be cancelled and customers will be informed by letter in the next few days, Schoofs added.
The sailors in Schleswig harbour were surprised and in some cases annoyed, especially because they first received the significantly higher bill and only then the announcement of the price increase. "We are not concerned about the price increase itself - a lot has been done here in recent years, the harbour has become really beautiful - but about the way it was done," Claudia Witt also states. Wolfgang Schoofs confirms: "It was a somewhat unfortunate event."
Nevertheless, prices will rise - next year and with timely notice. Berthing fees have barely risen in recent years, while a lot has been invested in modernisation. In addition, personnel and energy costs have risen, Schoofs explains.
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Ursula Meer
Redakteurin Panorama und Reise
