Hamburg water police check 76 boats, charge canoeist with 1.37 Promille blood alcohol
Hamburg's Wasserschutzpolizei inspected 76 watercraft and 82 people on the Alster and Elbe, filing 16 violations including an overloaded ferry with 278 passengers and a canoeist at 1.37 Promille blood alcohol.
Police crack down on summer boating
Hamburg's Wasserschutzpolizei spent a full day checking sport boats and harbor ferries on the Alster and Elbe amid the summer high season. Officers inspected 76 watercraft and 82 people, initiating 16 proceedings for regulatory violations. The operation, conducted over the past weekend, targeted leisure captains and water sports enthusiasts who may be ignoring safety rules on the busy waterways.
The most serious case involved the captain of a harbor ferry who had taken 278 passengers aboard at the Landungsbrücken, exceeding the permitted capacity of 250. Police also filed a criminal complaint against a 34-year-old canoeist suspected of operating a vessel under the influence. A breath test showed a blood alcohol concentration of 1.37 Promille. The man had been paddling on a side water of the Außenalster with five companions. He now faces criminal proceedings.
On the Rondeelteich
The stern.de report describes the control operation in detail. On a Saturday afternoon, three police boats appeared on the Rondeelteich, a side water of the Alster, where ten officers of the Wasserschutzpolizei checked compliance with alcohol limits. The action was part of a so-called Thementag, during which the water police also monitored the harbor, the Dove-Elbe, and the Unterelbe.
- Watercraft checked
- 76
- Persons checked
- 82
- Proceedings initiated
- 16
Six men sitting in a canoe with a cooler full of drinks were not pleased to encounter the officers. Police suspected they had been drinking and asked them to blow into a testing device. The canoeists refused. Polizeihauptkommissar Stefan Fischer then decided to continue the check on land. Since the private villas surrounding the Rondeelteich could not be entered, the officers and the suspected offenders agreed to travel together to a landing stage at the Krugkoppelbrücke.
Who paddles is the captain
The legal situation is full of pitfalls for the layperson. At least four of the men in the canoe grabbed paddles and propelled the boat forward, unknowingly making themselves vessel operators under the law. The Alster is an official waterway, meaning all boat operators are subject to the same alcohol limits as car drivers. From 0.5 Promille, a fine applies; from 1.1 Promille, the offense becomes a crime.
- Fine threshold
- 0.5 Promille
- Criminal offense threshold
- 1.1 Promille
- Canoeist measured BAC
- 1.37 Promille
Kanus, pedal boats, inflatable boats, and stand-up-paddle boards are all classified as small watercraft, the Wasserschutzpolizei explained. Anyone operating them must comply with the regulations. The same applies to cannabis consumption: boat operators must observe the same limit as drivers, set at 3.5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood.
A campaign for calmer waters
The police launched the "#AlsterFürAlle" campaign two years ago to bring the turbulent summer activity on the Alster under control. The campaign focuses on observing the right-of-way rule, respecting the alcohol limit, and not jumping from bridges.
- Police launch #AlsterFürAlle campaign to calm summer activity on the Alster
- Wasserschutzpolizei conducts Thementag controls on Alster, Elbe and harbor
- Police publish results: 76 watercraft and 82 persons checked, 16 proceedings
Philip Becker, head of Wasserschutzpolizeikommissariat 2, praised his clientele before the control patrol began.
We can talk to people, we are not out here in a confrontational way.
Becker, a former Schutzpolizei officer, has experienced more dangerous situations. On one occasion, a man pressed a lit cigarette onto his skin during a check in the city.
