Baltic Sea: Kiel lighthouse is back in operation - after a month of darkness.

The Kiel lighthouse is on fire again. This was announced by the responsible Baltic Sea Waterways and Shipping Office in a Notice to mariners with. For one month, since 16 January 2026, the beacon had been out of action at its sea position off the Kiel Fjord. This was caused by problems with the structure's main power supply, which was a long-term consequence of the severe storm surge in October 2023.

Repeated faults and failures

Since then, the navigation mark, which is important for navigating the fjord and the various harbours in Kiel and thus also the Kiel Canal, has repeatedly struggled with malfunctions; most recently, the tower remained dark in December last year.

The number of beacon failures along the German Baltic Sea coast has recently increased: In addition to the Kiel lighthouse, which is now working again, the Kalkgrund beacon in the outer area of the Flensburg Fjord and the Buk beacon near Kühlungsborn are also affected in the long term; the former has been out of operation since May 2025, while the latter has been out of service until its repair is completed. receive a new identifier.