Experts warn of a ticking Eco-bomb on the Baltic sea. The end of the Second world war before Danzig sunken freighter “Swiss francs” is always loaded with plenty of fuel.
The “franc” was a floating gas station. A ship that the German Navy is provided in the Baltic sea during the Second world war, with fuel. The Tanker could carry up to 10,000 tons of fuel. On 8. April 1945, the Russians torpedoed “Swiss francs” in the vicinity of the Polish Hel Peninsula near Danzig. The Tanks were partly filled.
In accordance with the then applicable international law, the wreck was after the war, the property of the people’s Republic of Poland. At that time, the salvage of the “francs,” is unprofitable. “You lay there and did not bother anyone,” explains Benedykt Hac, scientists from the marine Institute in gdańsk (Gdańsk). Today things are different, he adds. The experienced Hydrograph, Navigator, and sea captain has no doubts: The question is not “if” but “when” it comes to a disaster.
Ticking Time Bomb
The last report on the state of the tanker comes to the conclusion that there is still 3136 are m3 fuel on Board. “Even if a significant part (60%) to the ship’s cargo was lost during the attack – it is still very much there,” says Hac. According to present knowledge, some of the Tanks were at least still close. “A good performance of the German art of engineering.”
“T/S francs” – archive plan of the cargo space of the tanker
The best art of engineering is not able but to put the laws of physics. Through the water, the steel of the Tanks corrode with the speed of one Millimeter per decade. In seven decades, could thus be already gone seven 7 twelve mm of the tank walls. According to Hac, a further corrosion of the hull would lead to the wreck breaks apart under its own weight, and an uncontrolled leak occurs. With dramatic consequences for the environment. More still: The Baltic sea is an inland sea and there are currently an unusually slow water exchange with the adjacent North sea. “As a scientist, I cannot remain silent,” stresses Hac.
Hope that money from the EU crisis Fund
Hacs “Swiss francs”-the Team that knocked several years, without success, to many doors, including to the numerous authorities. The cost estimate for the salvage of fuel cargo ranges from eight to twenty million Euro, including the cost of insurance and ordnance disposal. In order to make the issue public, was launched an information campaign of the Polish Foundation “Mare”, as well as a pilot project of the German Foundation”Baltic Sea Conservation Foundation” (Baltcf) sponsored. The money was enough only for investigations outside of the wreck, the development of methods and guidelines for the recovery of dangerous goods and guidelines, and implementation strategies for the authorities.
To hurry Peter Torkler, managing Director of the Foundation Baltcf with headquarters in Greifswald advises. “In terms of how dynamic the Bay of gdańsk developed economically, such as tourism develops there, how much the poles make there, is our advice as an expert to look at this as an extremely important project,” he says.
In February of this year the Germans decided to cooperate in the project of Poland and 23. April 2018, the Crews of the research vessels IMOR and the COAST of the Baltic diving base, the action followed. Under water the divers spent about 60 hours, 13 of them on the wreck. An information campaign has begun, and a Petition to the Polish government for the cleaning of the Tanks of the “franc”, on the site of the “Mare”Foundation has already been signed by well over 45,000 people.
The Ecosystem to save
“We want to condemn anybody, but to advertise for a mobilization to the rescue of the Ecosystem of the Bay of gdańsk,” says Olga Sarna, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation “Mare”. “It’s about to break the Silence,” adds Peter Torkler, and refers to the unsuccessful Attempts by the marine Institute of Gdansk to interest the authorities for this theme. After all, has launched in July 2018, the Polish Maritime Minister Marek Gróbarczyk a special Team for the solution of the “francs”-problem.
The environmental activists hope, meanwhile, with the support of the Ministry, to get the money from the EU crisis Fund for the salvage.
No precedent to create
The German authorities are, in the case of “Franken” to be very careful. Carolin Zerger by the German Federal Ministry for the environment, nature conservation and reactor safety in Germany, pointed out that the wreck is located in Polish waters, and recommended the poles to contact “Helcom SUBMERGED”, a group of experts for the evaluation of environmental hazards due to dangerous, in the Baltic sea, sunken objects, based in Helsinki.
This attitude of the authorities in Germany is not a Surprise for Peter Torkler. “No one wants to create a precedent. Wrecks are a huge Problem, because there are thousands of them. They talk about hate in Public” – he admits.
23. In April 2018, the Crews of the research vessels IMOR and LITORAL together on the wreck
Together we can achieve more
After all, addressed facedwith the International Club of the Federal foreign office (ICAA), a compound President and former German diplomats, at an event in may 2018 with the theme of “francs”. Peter Torkler as it is a first success. “After we have seen how well the campaign is running in Poland, we ask ourselves, what forums and institutions can take up this project here in Germany,” says Torkler, and adds: “This is certainly a great project, but if all work together in the context of this problem, then we can achieve it together with Germany and Poland a lot.”