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Oil film on the water of the Kiel Canal
Photo: Nikito / IMAGO
The water police are investigating the leak in a pipeline in the port of Brunsbüttel.
The Kiel Canal was closed on Wednesday because large amounts of oil had spilled.
Due to the ongoing proceedings, no further information on the circumstances and causes could be given at the moment, the authority said on Friday.
Water pollution in the lock area has been reported for a week.
On the busy connection between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, ships are still unable to get through due to pollution.
Special ships in use
The duration of the oil fight depends, among other things, on the weather conditions, said the head of the emergency command on Thursday evening.
A particular challenge is the wind, which according to the forecast is expected to turn at times during the course of Friday.
However, oil scavenging work on the canal and on the bank is progressing well.
Three special ships were also used.
The Waterways and Shipping Office for the Kiel Canal, which gives the go-ahead for shipping, is currently assuming a blockage until at least Saturday noon, according to the director.
In addition to helpers from the Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) and the fire brigade, the animal rescue team was also on site, as some oil-covered animals had been sighted.
According to initial findings, a low double-digit number of birds is affected.
Oil pollution over six kilometers
It was initially unclear how much oil escaped after the leak in the pipeline, according to the head of the emergency command on Thursday afternoon.
"We have oil pollution that extends over six kilometers along the Kiel Canal." Based on aerial observations, the amount was calculated at around twelve cubic meters.
The artificial waterway should not be "released too early" because it is about "something very valuable," said Schleswig-Holstein's Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt (Greens).
"It's about protecting our seas, the Wadden Sea." It must be prevented that the oil gets into the Elbe or the North Sea.
The canal between Kiel on the Baltic Sea and Brunsbüttel on the mouth of the Elbe in the North Sea is the world's busiest artificial sea waterway.
aeh/dpa
