Schiermonnikoog

Dutch public works department Rijkswaterstaat is launching an investigation into what consequences small plastic particles that ended up in the Wadden sea after 291 containers fell off a ship in the North Sea last week will have for animals in the area. The investigation will be done in cooperation with scientific institute Waddenacademie in Leeuwarden. The results will also show which measures can be taken so that the Wadden Sea is better protected, NU.nl reports.

The Ministry of Defense deployed 100 soldiers to assist in cleaning up sea containers and their content that washed ashore on the Wadden Islands. Some 270 containers fell from cargo ship MSC Zoe near Germany during the early hours of Wednesday morning. Around 35 containers washed ashore on the Wadden Islands. Friesland and Groningen on the mainland also found containers and their content, NU.nl reports.

The soldiers will start cleaning up the beaches on the Wadden Islands on Friday. Some soldiers had to come back from their Christmas holidays to help, according to the newspaper.

Over 2,700 volunteers are participating in the sixth edition of the Boskalis Beach Cleanup Tour, the annual cleaning action organized by the North Sea Foundation. Over the next two weeks, they will clean up the entire stretch of North Sea beaches in the Netherlands, the Telegraaf reports.

The cleanup started on Wednesday with two teams of volunteers - one team starting at Cadzand in the south and the other at Schiermonnikoog. Each day the cleaning teams will get closer to each other, until they finish together in Zandvoort.

The number of kids in the Netherlands receiving treatment or aid from youth care increased significantly over the past two years. In 2015, when Dutch municipalities took over the responsibility of youth care, there were 349 thousand kids in youth care, last year there were 392,500, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands, RTL Nieuws reports. 

Drones will be used to transport medicine from the Dutch mainland to the Wadden island of Schiermonnikoog in a new experiment by UMCG Ambulance Care and ANWB Medical Air Assistance, NU.nl reports.

The test involves three drones making a total of 30 flights from an unspecified location in Friesland to the helicopter port on the island. The municipality of Schiermonnikoog agreed to the test, under the condition that this will only involve medical flights. The island wants to deter commercial flights, because they disturb the peace.

A 10-year-old girl who was hit by a car in a parking lot in Lauwersoog on Sunday afternoon, died of her injuries. Her 45-year-old father was also killed in the accident, RTL Nieuws reports.

The accident happened in the parking lot at the entrance to the boat towards Schiermonnikoog. The father was walking across the parking lot with his daughter and son when they were hit by a car. The 8-year-old boy was injured, but is no longer in hospital.

Almost 11 percent of children in the Netherlands were receiving treatment from youth support last year, Statistics Netherlands announced on Friday. Youth support helps and treats kids below the age of 18 who have psychological problems, mental disorders or educational problems. 

Energy company ENGIE may perform exploratory drilling for natural gas north of the North Sea island Schiermonnikoog. On Tuesday the Council of State declared objections to the exploratory drilling unfounded. No further appeal is possible, NU.nl reports.

With the support of ruling party PvdA, a parliamentary majority is now against test drilling for gas on the Wadden Island of Schiermonnikoog

Visitors to beaches in Ameland and Schiermonnikoog were advised to get somewhere safe at 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning after multiple waterspouts were spotted over the Wadden Sea. Several hundred meters high, onlookers tweeted spectacular photos of the spouts whirling into the sky.