District supports the preservation of passenger shipping on Lake Diemelsee

New federal regulations for inland waterway vessels on federal waterways are forcing the operator of the MS Muffert passenger ship on Lake Diemelsee to cease operations in its current form. District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst and First District Councillor Karl-Friedrich Frese are committed to maintaining the tourist offer.

"Navigation is an integral part of the touristoffer"
Together, they support the efforts of Volker Becker, mayor of the municipality of Diemelsee, to secure the continuation of passenger navigation on one of the three large reservoirs in Waldeck-Frankenberg. "The boat trips on the Diemelsee are an integral part of the tourist offer in the region," emphasise van der Horst and Frese. "They are a popular visitor attraction for tourists and entire tour groups." If the offer were to disappear in the future, it would not only mean the loss of an important holiday destination. "The catering establishments located on the lake would also suffer, as many people combine a trip on the MS Muffert with a visit to the catering facilities."

"Finding quick and pragmatic solutions"
The District Administrator and First District Councillor are therefore clearly in favour of maintaining the passenger boat service on Lake Diemelsee - and are closely supporting the municipality of Diemelsee in this matter, which has already contacted members of the state and federal parliaments to raise the issue at a political level. "Together, we would like to support all efforts to ensure that the round trips on the passenger ship can be maintained," emphasise the department heads. "Now we need to explore all options in order to find a quick and pragmatic solution."

Background
Changes to the manning regulations for inland waterway vessels on federal waterways mean that the MS Muffert will no longer be able to continue operating as before. The new requirements make it legally necessary to increase the number of nautical personnel. According to the operator, this change in the manning regulations makes the very small passenger ship operation uneconomical.