Statement on the blockade of the Hallig ferry
MS "Hilligenlei"

On Thursday 4 January at around 17:00, our Hallig ferry MS "Hilligenlei" arrived at the mainland port of Schlüttsiel. At this time, there was a large crowd of participants in an apparently spontaneously organised protest rally in the port. According to the information available here, there was neither a responsible organiser nor an official permit for the action. It is also not known which people actively participated in the blockade of the "Hilligenlei" near the ferry bridge.

We note that the vehicles on board our ferry were denied passage by unknown persons. A lorry that tried to drive off the ship was pushed back by the crowd and had to reverse back on board. The vehicles and their occupants were ultimately only able to leave the ship when it made another approach to the harbour. In our opinion, this was a case of coercion of the ship, crew and passengers as well as a considerable disruption to the supply of the island and Hallig.

According to the current situation (including numerous video recordings on social media) and consistent statements from witnesses on site, the captain of the "Hilligenlei" and the police forces on site were able to prevent an impulsive storming of the ship at the last minute. There has never been a situation like this on the W.D.R.'s route before.

With all fundamental understanding for the anger and frustration of those affected by the decisions recently taken by the Federal Government, we condemn the specific behaviour of the participants in yesterday's incident, and in particular the obstruction and possible endangerment of those on board. We would like to thank the police and security forces on site and the crew of the "Hilligenlei", who were able to prevent anything worse from happening.

Wyk auf Föhr, 5 January 2024