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»Gorch Fock«: Was illegal wood used?
Photo: Sina Schuldt / dpa
The environmental protection organizations WWF and Deutscher Naturschutzring (DNR) want to force an examination of the tropical wood used during the restoration of the "Gorch Fock" before the constitutional court in Karlsruhe.
According to his findings, the wood used for the deck of the training ship was "most likely illegal," said the WWF.
The responsible federal agency nevertheless refused to carry out a more detailed examination.
The environmental organizations hope that the Constitutional Court will force the supervisory authority to initiate the investigation procedure by means of an urgent decision.
This request failed in July before the Higher Administrative Court (OVG) in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia.
The OVG had noted that the environmentalists had tried to circumvent regular legal action with the urgent procedure.
The responsible Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) interpreted the decision as confirmation that it had fully complied with the statutory inspection mandate.
Wood from illegal sources?
The environmentalists still see a particular hurry.
After your presentation, the retention period for the import documents will soon expire.
After that, neither the origin nor the trade route of the teak can be traced.
The environmental protection organizations have long suspected that the teak used to restore the deck of the Gorch Fock comes from illegal sources in Myanmar.
Accordingly, among other things, the customs declaration numbers of the export deliveries have been changed several times.
That speaks along with other indications for smuggling and tax evasion.
The seller is a well-known "mafia boss" from the Asian country.
In the opinion of WWF and DNR, the use of the wood therefore violates the European Timber Trade Regulation.
In addition, there is a violation of the federal procurement guidelines because there is no sustainability certificate.
It is »known« that »no sustainable wood can be obtained from Myanmar«.
The wood for the federally owned ship comes from "overexploitation".
The "Gorch Fock" is the German navy's sailing training ship and is used for officer training.
The traditional ship has been overhauled for several years.
The renovation caused a political stir, mainly because of the drastic cost increases.
Originally just under ten million euros had been agreed, but the budget rose to 135 million euros.
There were also further difficulties and considerable delays.
The public prosecutor's office and the police are investigating suspicions of corruption and breach of trust around the renovation work carried out by a shipyard commissioned to do so.
This has meanwhile gone bankrupt, the repair of the "Gorch Fock" came to a standstill for a time.
Teak is extremely durable and weatherproof, which is why it is popular in boat and shipbuilding.
According to current European legislation, only teak from legal cultivation may be brought onto the market.
The national legal situation in the respective export country is decisive for this.
ptz / AFP