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Demolition of the Nordland III: Greifswald allows 80-year-old cutter to disappear
In Greifswald, the war fishing vessel Nordland III, which is over 80 years old, will be demolished after it sank in 2023. The demolition project will end by October 2025.
Demolition of the Nordland III: Greifswald allows 80-year-old cutter to disappear
A historical example of seafaring, the “Nordland III”, is currently being demolished in the port of Greifswald. The more than 80-year-old ship, which was built as a war fishing vessel in 1944, has been standing on the banks of the Ryck for almost two years. The demolition work began some time ago and heavy equipment is now tearing down large parts of the once proud cutter. There are several reasons why this step was necessary.
In the fall of 2023, a severe storm caused the ship to take on a lot of water and ultimately sink. The failure of the bilge pumps due to a power outage resulted in the water repellent failing. The wreckage spent about three weeks at the bottom before being lifted ashore using two large cranes in November 2023. Again NDR reported, the recovery was necessary to prevent contamination of the water by pollutants. Around 30 emergency services were at work.
Demolition work and long-term planning
The demolition work is not an easy undertaking. The plates used during the work weigh around 25 kilograms each and are used to protect the floor. Wood and metal are torn from the wreckage and lovingly sorted into different containers. Fences and tarpaulins have been erected around the construction site between the barrage and the Hotel Utkiek to secure the work. The Ministry of the Environment has stated that the area will also be used to store stop log seals.
After a legal dispute, the responsibility for the scrapping lay with a state agency that had stipulated in a previous year that it would take care of the disposal. It estimates that the entire work should be completed by October 15, 2025 in order to be finished in time for the next storm surge season. The cost of scrapping could run into the hundreds of thousands, according to reports Northern Courier is not insignificant.
The danger of ship dismantling
When it comes to more than just local concerns, a look beyond the horizon shows that ship dismantling also has its challenges on a global scale. As Greenpeace states in its reports, around 100,000 young migrant workers work in unacceptable conditions at scrapyards in Asia. The wages are often only between 1 and 2 dollars per day - a situation that is unacceptable. In Germany, many of the resulting illnesses are even considered occupational illnesses that require compensation.
The health risks from toxic fumes, asbestos dust and other pollutants are alarming. Many workers suffer in silence from the lasting health consequences that result from their daily work. It remains to be hoped that in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the “Nordland III” is now being disposed of responsibly, the focus will be strongly on the ecological and human aspects in order to avoid similar disasters in the future.