Spiekeroog.
The East Frisian island of Spiekeroog is opting for a new ship with a shallow draft, which is intended to make the island accessible flexibly at high and low tide.
The accessibility of some of the East Frisian Islands by ferry is determined by high and low tide. Spiekeroog is now relying on a new ship that should make the island accessible flexibly and is thus following a trend. With a new ferry with little draft, the East Frisian island of Spiekeroog can now be reached largely independently of the tides in the Wadden Sea.
The new “WattnExpress”, which can accommodate up to 50 passengers, began operating on Monday, according to a spokeswoman for Nordseebad Spiekeroog GmbH. On the first of two departures on Monday morning from Neuharlingersiel on the mainland to Spiekeroog, there were almost 30 passengers on board. More departures should follow on Monday afternoon. Nordseebad Spiekeroog GmbH, which operates the ferry service to the island, was satisfied with the booking figures for the first few days.
In the shallow Wadden Sea, the larger passenger ferries to the islands of Wangerooge, Spiekeroog, Baltrum and Juist depend on the ebb and flow of the tide and therefore always operate at different times. The “WattnExpress” with a draft of just 70 centimeters will in future run between Spiekeroog and Neuharlingersiel seven days a week, regardless of the tide, at fixed departure times. In addition, the additional offer should also reduce travel times. With the high-speed ferry, a crossing takes just under 20 minutes instead of the previous 45 minutes. However, there is also a fare surcharge of around five euros for faster transport.
Significant increase in water taxis
The reason for the decision to build a fast ferry that is almost tide-independent is the changed demand behavior of customers who want to travel much more flexibly, said the managing director of Nordseebad Spiekeroog GmbH, Ansgar Ohmes, in a statement. Islanders, holidaymakers and craftsmen are less and less willing to follow the rhythm of the tides on their journeys. This is also shown by the “considerable growth” in the area of so-called water taxis in recent years, said Ohmes. The number of these small fast ferries and their daily departures to several East Frisian islands has recently increased significantly.
Spiekeroog had actually already planned the new scheduled service with the “WattnExpress” for holiday guests at Christmas and New Year. However, for two pontoons, where the ferry moors in the ports, there was no permit for heavy transport from the factory to the pier. The pontoons were delivered to Neuharlingersiel and installed last week. (dpa)
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