Status: 08/20/2022 7:41 PM
The collapsed lighthouse in Bremerhaven was temporarily secured on Saturday. It remains unclear whether the listed dome can be dismantled without the tower tipping over.
Saturday’s work now ensures that the tower no longer falls into the water, Bremenport Port Company spokesman, Holger Bruns, said. Instead, he fell onto a floating pontoon, which was now suspended in front of him and piled on the hay. “The tower no longer falls into the fairway.” The lighthouse stands on the North Pier at the entrance to the fishing port of Bremerhaven.
Delayed disassembly
If no new problems arise and the lighthouse is still standing, the dome will be dismantled at the end of next week. The brick tower will then be removed. The entire company appears to be more complex than expected. On Thursday, Bremenport spoke of its desire to dismantle the tower this weekend.
video: Lighthouse in Bremerhaven Still Standing (5 min)
In addition, the foundation of the tower must be examined with an autonomous underwater vehicle from the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Ultrasound devices are installed in it. As a DLR researcher said, sonar devices can create a three-dimensional image of the sidewalk on which the lighthouse is standing. This shows whether the wall is still intact or the extent of the damage. On Friday, police said the mole did not fall off any further.
Port operator: The wooden piles may have fallen off
The pier was flooded Thursday night. That deterioration was unexpected, said Robert Howe, managing director of Bremenports. “However, we have known for several years that the stability of the pier, and of course the stability of the tower, is in danger.” The pier and the pier on which the tower stands are built on wooden pillars. Investigations showed that these were lost under the pavement. That is why the pier is closed to visitors. Hao explained that since the pier head was secured again in addition to the board supports, the wooden piles there could not be inspected. At low tide, the piles would have apparently failed there.
The mayor sees responsibility in the Senate and Bremenport
The mayor of Bremerhaven, Milf Grantz (SPD), was heavily criticized. “If you want to be cynical, you can say: It was a disaster with an announcement. For years I have urgently made it clear to officials in the Senate and in Bremenport the need to renovate the North Mole, but unfortunately nothing is visible,” said City Hall-Boss on Thursday. “What has happened now is detrimental to Bremerhaven.”
Ships and ferries are running again
On Thursday evening, sea traffic that had been blocked since morning at the entrance to the Geiste River, the fishing port for commercial shipping and the Weser ferry from Bremerhaven to Nordenham (Blixen) was again released. Geeste flows into Weser at the tip of the pier. Ferry traffic on the Weser River is not restricted.
According to the city, the lighthouse, which began operating in 1914, has been a listed building since 2001. North Mole is owned by the state of Bremen, and the tower with its active lighthouse belongs to the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration.
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