Danger: Numerous maritime emergencies from the Baltic Sea to Lake Constance
This weekend, sea rescue services were kept extremely busy in numerous areas within the DGzRS’s area of responsibility in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. From Friday until Sunday lunchtime, around 60 sea rescue vessels and boats carried out more than 32 operations, during which they rescued a total of 75 people. The majority of these operations took place in the western Baltic Sea. This is confirmed by Christian Stipeldey. “We had 19 operations in Schleswig-Holstein, seven in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and six in Lower Saxony.”
According to the press officer, the reasons for the call-outs break down as follows: technical problems and engine failures were recorded on eleven occasions. “A technical problem can quickly turn into a dangerous situation,” explains Stipeldey. “That’s why it’s all the more important that we arrive on the scene quickly.” In addition, there were nine vessels that had become stuck or run aground. In four cases, the sea rescue service had to carry out patient transfers and medical evacuations. In the Rescue and capsizing of a sailing yacht, the DGzRS was on duty until late into the night. There was also a boat that was adrift and unable to manoeuvre. “We were also involved in the search for six missing swimmers,” says Stipeldey, adding: “It is often the case that when the weather changes suddenly and without prior warning, many people are out and about and may be caught off guard by the weather.” Particularly in summer, changeable weather conditions, including Thunderstorm and Heat become risks.
More on the subject of distress at sea:
According to the press officer, the sea rescue service experiences at least one or two weekends a year with such a high number of emergencies. “Up to 40 call-outs can easily be reported within two days. This weekend, we rescued 75 people. This figure is also realistic for other weekends,” he estimates.
Sailing yacht capsizes in the Baltic Sea
At 10.30 pm on 27 June, a woman reported from the shore that a sailing boat was adrift off Langholz in the municipality of Waabs. The Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) in Bremen immediately alerted the rescue boat “Eckernförde”. The crew arrived at the scene about half an hour later and found that there were two people on board. A married couple had moored their boat to a buoy during a severe thunderstorm and sought shelter below deck. However, the mooring did not hold. Due to the dangerous thunderstorm conditions, the sea rescue team decided to tow the boat, with the sailors still on board, to Eckernförde.
Boat breaks loose during a thunderstorm
About 20 minutes after the tow began, another violent thunderstorm swept across Eckernförde Bay. Strong gusts of up to force 10 – more than 100 kilometres per hour – caught the sailing boat, which was being towed. One such gust caused the boat to capsize, and both sailors fell into the Baltic Sea. The sea rescue team reacted immediately and rescued the pair in no time at all, before they could be swept away.
The DGzRS called in the rescue cruiser “Berlin” from the Laboe station to assist. The crew included a maritime emergency doctor. As the two shipwrecked people were in good condition, there was no need to provide them with further medical care. The sea rescue team took the couple to the port of Eckernförde. The ‘Steppke’, the ‘Berlin’s’ auxiliary vessel, took over the towing operation. During this, there was once again heavy rain and thunderstorms. It was not until 3 am on Sunday night that the crews were back at their respective stations.
The See Rescue Coordination Centre is staffed round the clock and can be contacted on VHF channels 16 and 70, as well as on the borderwave frequency of 2187.5 kilohertz.
Emergencies at sea: Operations on Lake Constance
Powerful thunderstorm cells over eastern Switzerland triggered a violent storm on Sunday evening, which swept across the eastern part of Lake Constance. The yellow Storm warning lights along the shores of Lake Constance The warning was displayed in advance with 90 flashes per minute. Nevertheless, several boats found themselves in distress. A sailing yacht ran aground off the Therme in Lindau. At the same time, a motorboat that was unable to manoeuvre was reported in the same region. The Lindau Fire Brigade, the Water Rescue Service and the Lindau THW, together with emergency services from Austria, were deployed for the cross-border rescue operation. The emergency services secured both boats and subsequently towed the motorboat into Lindau harbour.
There was another major operation off the Wasserburg peninsula. A sailing boat broke free from its mooring buoy and was eventually pushed ashore by the heavy swell. The Wasserburg Fire Brigade and the Lindau THW secured the damaged boat. Using the THW’s loading crane, the emergency services lifted the sailing boat out of the water to prevent any potential environmental hazard to Lake Constance caused by leaking fuel. The fire brigades from Lindau and Wasserburg, the water rescue service, the Lindau THW and emergency services from Austria were on the scene for several hours. According to current information, there were no injuries.
Sailing yacht catches fire in Warnemünde
An 8.45-metre sailing yacht caught fire on Sunday near the passenger quay in Warnemünde Fire, whilst the 47-year-old skipper escaped unharmed. The fire broke out shortly after 1 pm. The yacht had originally been travelling from Kühlungsborn towards Rostock’s city harbour. A cloud of black smoke was visible even from a distance. Several emergency calls were received by the emergency services. The fire brigade was assisted by the German Armed Forces fire brigade and a civil protection boat. Together, it took them an hour to Fire under control The police suspect that a technical fault was the cause of the fire, but are still investigating the possibility of negligent arson.
Leonie Meyer
Editor News & Panorama
