Published March 25, 2026 — last updated March 25, 2026
Rescue crews in northern Germany are racing against time to free a humpback whale stranded on a sandbank in Lübeck Bay off Niendorf beach. The roughly 10-metre animal, believed to be a young male, has been stuck in shallow water since Monday with its back visible above the surface; faint vocalizations from the whale can be heard from hundreds of metres away.
An initial attempt to dislodge the whale using a suction dredger failed after the machine proved incapable of shifting the compacted sand around the animal. Authorities and marine rescuers say larger, heavier equipment is being brought in and is expected to arrive on Thursday to resume dredging and other rescue measures. Sea Shepherd representative Carsten Mannheimer called the situation difficult and said teams are limited in what they can do until more powerful machinery is available. He and others suspect the whale became stranded while migrating and may be the same individual seen in the area earlier this month.
Responders warn that time is critical: prolonged stranding increases the risk of injury, dehydration and internal stress for the cetacean. On-site teams include local firefighters and specialists from the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), working with conservation groups to prepare coordinated efforts once heavier gear arrives.
Elsewhere in Germany, authorities ran a major security operation on Wednesday to escort the first of a series of nuclear waste transports from the former Jülich research reactor to an interim storage site in Ahaus, North Rhine-Westphalia. About 100 vehicles, including dozens of police units, accompanied the heavy-load transporter and some highway exits were temporarily closed along the route. The movement marks the start of a programme to move 152 Castor containers; police said roughly 2,400 officers will be involved across the series of transports. Small groups of protesters gathered at points along the way.
In Berlin, four Greenpeace activists suspended themselves from a crane near the Chancellery and unfurled a 100-square-metre banner reading “Freedom instead of fossil fuel politics.” The action aimed to spotlight what Greenpeace describes as gaps in Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s forthcoming climate protection plan, which targets a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. The group warned current measures are unlikely to close a “massive gap” and urged a clearer roadmap to phase out fossil fuels.
Authorities and rescuers continue to monitor the stranded whale closely as they prepare to resume efforts once heavier machinery reaches the site.