Court judgment: Chlorine deployment at the LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven allowed!

Court judgment: Chlorine deployment at the LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven allowed!

Wilhelmshaven, Deutschland - The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig has decided that the use of chlorine to clean the liquid gas terminal in Wilhelmshaven is lawful. The decision was made on December 23, 2024, after the German environmental aid had sued the use of biocides on the terminal ship "Högh Esperanza". According to the court, the chlorine process used corresponds to the current state of the art, which is why the introduction of chlorine -containing waste water into the North Sea is not objected to. However, the environmentalists express concerns that these practices could endanger the nearby UNESCO World Natural Heritage Wadden Sea, such as ndr reported.

The complaint of German environmental aid wanted to ensure that the "Höegh Esperanza" was converted for a company without the use of biocides. The operator Unip, on the other hand, sees the use of active chlorine as necessary to protect the ship's sea water system from algae and shell overgrown. The Lower Saxony Environmental Authority had previously stated that previous measurements showed no negative effects of the chlorine-containing waste water on the ecosystem in the Jade, which The time confirmed.

The decision of the court also illuminates the discussion about alternative cleaning technologies. The German Environmental Aid pleads for the use of the ultrasound procedure, which is still in the test phase and is therefore not considered mature. The court stated that the previous use of this technique on ships would not be sufficient to prove their practicality. In contrast, the chlorine process is assessed as established and efficiently, which prompted the dishes to decide in favor of the chlorine use.