Geesthacht close to Hamburg: Spectacular sight – meter-high icebergs piling up on the Elbe | EUROtoday

In Geesthacht close to Hamburg, ice plenty a number of meters excessive have shaped on the Elbe. This is reported by the “Bild” newspaper. Accordingly, ten icebreakers are in fixed use and delivery site visitors is at a standstill. The weird winter surroundings attracts onlookers in droves – generally with harmful penalties.

“We haven’t had that before either. The ice extends a good ten meters high from the bottom of the Elbe,” mentioned Andreas Schultz, head of the particular ship fleet on the Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA), to “Bild”. Photos present meter-high ice formations on the Elbe island under the Geesthacht Elbe bridge in Schleswig-Holstein. Walkers watch the spectacle and pull out their cell telephones.

Cause of the phenomenon: ice that rose from the Elbe ground

According to the delivery workplace, the ten icebreakers are at the moment in use within the Geesthacht and Lauenburg space. 70 to one hundred pc of the Elbe is roofed by drift ice, and in some locations there may be so-called ice stage, mentioned a spokesman for the accountable waterways and delivery workplace. “But the ice is not thick,” mentioned the spokesman. Nevertheless, the part that’s truly necessary for delivery is closed.

The explanation for the spectacle: icy temperatures all the way down to minus 10.8 levels and low water. The so-called floor ice shaped on the bottom, rose up and blocked the floor. According to “Bild,” among the many burglars is the colossus “Keiler,” a ship with 1,100 horsepower that repeatedly sits straight on the obstacles and crushes the ice – across the clock. The icebreakers “Wisent”, “Büffel” and “Eber” are additionally in motion and are attempting to clear the delivery channel.

But the low water is disruptive. “We can only sail at high tide. If the water is too low, we could touch the bottom due to the draft – and of course that’s not possible,” Schultz informed the “Hamburger Abendblatt”.

While drivers are caught in site visitors as a result of some are filming the spectacle from their vehicles, fears of latest frost are additionally spreading. It might freeze once more this week – and the ice chaos will proceed.