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.
Schiermonnikoog
Jan 10 '19 10:45
Jan 7 '19 14:00
Dutch public works department Rijkswaterstaat and shipping company MSC have located around 220 of an estimated 281 containers that fell off ship MSC Zoe in the North Sea last week. Most of the containers, located with the help of sonar boats, are at the bottom of the North Sea, near the Wadden Islands, a spokesperson for Rijkswaterstaat said to NU.nl.
Jan 4 '19 08:58
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.
Dec 12 '18 11:00
A drone intended to transport medicine to the island of Schiermonnikoog, crashed in the Wadden Sea during a test flight, Dagblad van het Noorden reports based on government documents. As this was a test flight, the drone had no medication on board.
According to the documents, the TU Delft drone was given the instruction to land while it was still 1.1 kilometers away from the landing platform. As a result, the drone fell 80 meters from the sky and into the ocean. As the drone's coordinates were known, it was quickly found and recovered by a ship.
Aug 2 '18 11:10
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.
Jun 1 '18 12:40
A 15-year-old boy resuscitated during a school drip in Lauwersoog on Monday, passed away on Thursday morning, his school said on their website. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Luuk's parents, brothers and other family", secondary school Roelof van Echten College wrote, RTL Nieuws reports.
May 1 '18 10:40
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.
Feb 16 '18 17:00
The police arrested three seasick Greenpeace activists on Friday. The activists formed part of a group that climbed onto the drilling platform near Schiermonnikoog to protest against gas drilling. They returned to shore because they felt seasick, and was arrested at Lauwersoog in Groningen.
Oct 6 '17 14:50
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.
Sep 29 '17 12:50
A consortium of companies discovered a "commercially interesting" gas field in the North Sea, about 20 kilometers north of Schiermonnikoog. According to the companies, the discovery exceeded expectations, ANP reports.
Aug 22 '17 13:40
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.
Aug 21 '17 07:28
A man and two children were hit by a car in a parking lot in Lauwersoog, Groningen on Sunday. The man was killed and the two children were injured, one seriously. The police believe the man was the father of the two children. Both kids are in hospital, RTL Nieuws reports.
The accident happened on a parking lot at the entrance to the boat towards Schiermonnikoog. Witnesses say the driver, a woman, swerved to avoid an accident with a bus and hit the tree pedestrians. The woman was questioned by the police.
Apr 28 '17 09:09
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.
Mar 16 '17 15:18
Current Public Health Minister Edith Schippers (VVD) was appointed to explore the coalition possiblities for the Netherlands' new cabinet, lower house president Khadija Arib announced at a press conference on Thursday afternoon. Schippers will start working as soon as possible and is expected to have a progress report ready by March 21st, so that the new parliament can debate it on Thursday.
Feb 15 '17 12:10
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.
Jul 21 '16 11:35
Hundreds of people and several organizations are appealing to the Council of State against proposed exploratory drilling for natural gas on the North Sea island of Schiermonnikoog
Jun 15 '16 11:35
With the support of ruling party PvdA, a parliamentary majority is now against test drilling for gas on the Wadden Island of Schiermonnikoog
Sep 1 '14 14:19
Nearly 1,500 volunteers took to North Sea beaches throughout August, cleaning up over 20,000 kilograms of trash left in the sand. Dubbed the "Boskalis Cleanup Beach Tour," the initiative scooped up three times more garbage then last year's effort.
Jun 27 '14 08:22
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.
Mar 20 '14 08:46
Despite a somber prediction, voter-turnout at the municipal council elections on Wednesday was higher than expected with 53.8 percent of the population eligible to vote taking to the polling stations.
