The YACHT recently reported on the problematic Situation in Damp reportednow the WSA has officially ordered the closure of the harbour in the "Nachrichten für Seefahrer". This means that only the DGzRS cruiser, which is stationed in Damp, is allowed to enter and leave the harbour. Neither guests nor permanent berth holders can call at Damp. In the meantime, the harbour operator, Ostsee-Resort Damp, has also informed permanent residents of the closure for an indefinite period. They now have the choice of cancelling their contract or suspending it and waiting to see how and when things will continue. In view of the already tense mooring situation on the Baltic Sea, this could be difficult for the more than 300 mooring holders.
Behind the scenes, the situation is complicated: apparently, the lease for the harbour expires in a few years, which makes a large investment not very attractive for the operator. In addition, there is disagreement as to who has to pay for the damage: the leaseholder, Ostseeresort Damp GmbH, which belongs to Vamed AG, or the owner, the municipality of Damp. In view of the enormous damage, neither side is in a position to simply commission the reconstruction work as long as no money has been secured from the "flood disaster reconstruction fund" promised by Kiel. This was announced by the state at the beginning of November and was supposed to cover 75 per cent of the costs, but no binding commitments have been made to date.
The bottom of the harbour is still not completely cleared, two containers are missing
What is surprising is that apparently not even the bottom of the harbour has been cleared of debris and rubbish. According to Damp's mayor Barbara Feyock, two containers that were on land have not been recovered since the storm, so it could be that they are still at the bottom of the harbour. This means it is unsafe to navigate. This is somewhat surprising in view of the fact that Sporthafen Kiel GmbH had its harbour surveyed for major debris and even silting just a few weeks after the disaster.
Even if the problem of financing were to be resolved soon, reconstruction would take time. YACHT spoke to harbour construction experts in January, and even then they pointed out the constraints of material procurement. Due to the scope of the project and the daily prices for materials and availability to be clarified, the preparation of the offer alone would probably take a good three weeks. If finished web parts were required from external manufacturers, it would also take a good two months to receive them, depending on the product. This means that we would be at the beginning of May even before work begins.
A major problem with a new building is the natural stone breakwater, which is supposed to protect the harbour from swell in strong easterly winds. It was damaged during the flood, sinking about a metre in places, and stones were washed down. The fact that the stone line of the ridge has quite a few "dents" can be seen with the naked eye. The embankment therefore needs to be restored. However, the mayor told YACHT that it would probably have to be raised or rebuilt by around one metre. A project costing millions. Kiel and Maasholm are also considering such an increase, but are aware that this is more likely to be possible in the medium term.
