The ''Tiefwasserreede'' ( 'deep water anchorage') is an

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

of Germany's

territorial waters The term territorial waters is sometimes used informally to refer to any area of water over which a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potent ...

in the German Bight, used as a

roadstead A roadstead (or ''roads'' – the earlier form) is a body of water sheltered from rip currents, spring tides, or ocean swell where ships can lie reasonably safely at anchor without dragging or snatching.United States Army technical manual, TM 5 ...

for shipping waiting for access to the

Port of Hamburg The Port of Hamburg (german: Hamburger Hafen, ) is a seaport on the river Elbe in Hamburg, Germany, from its mouth on the North Sea. Known as Germany's "Gateway to the World" (''Tor zur Welt''), it is the country's largest seaport by volume ...

Ports of Bremen The Ports of Bremen, Bremen Ports or Bremish Ports, in German "Bremische Häfen" consist of the commercial ports in Bremen and Bremerhaven. They are managed by ''bremenports GmbH & Co. KG'', a company of private status in public property. In 201 ...

and other North Sea ports. The exclave lies around west of

Heligoland Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possession ...

, outside the

12 mile limit The term territorial waters is sometimes used informally to refer to any area of water over which a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potent ...

that usually defines territorial waters, but remains German territory under Article 12 of the

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is an international agreement that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. , 167 ...

which makes an exception for roadsteads. It legally forms part of the state of

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

and is completely surrounded by the German exclusive economic zone.

Definition

Germany initially announced plans to declare the ''Tiefwasserreede'' as sovereign territory in 1983. Motivated by the 1978 ''Amoco Cadiz'' oil spill, the federal government and states wanted to assert sovereignty over coastal waters in order to combat oil pollution – particularly ships pumping oil in the North Sea. Following the passage of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Germany announced it would both extend its territorial waters from 3 miles to 12, and declare a deep water roadstead. The move was opposed by the United States and German Navy, who feared a reprisal from

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...

, which could significantly reduce access to the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

by extending its own territorial waters. Before the UN Convention could come into force, the ''Tiefwasserreede'' and other waters around Heligoland were declared as German territorial waters - the "Helgoland-Box" - in 1985, while the 3-mile rule still ruled the rest of the coastline. The 12 mile rule was not implemented until 1994. ''Tiefwasserreede'' was then defined in law as the patch of sea bounded by the following points: # # # #

Challenges

The stretch of water at the mouths of the rivers

Jade Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group ...

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...

and

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...

– the Heligoland Bight – is one of the busiest shipping channels in the world, and when there are delays at German ports, significant traffic can build up in the ''Tiefwasserreede''. During the

2021–2022 global supply chain crisis In 2021, as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chains and shipments slowed, causing worldwide shortages and affecting consumer patterns. Causes of the economic slowdown included workers becoming sick with COVID-19 as well ...

, over a dozen ships were sometimes waiting at a time in the roadstead. The use of the water as an anchorage poses some challenges for German offshore wind power, as undersea power cables must be routed away from the ''Tiefwasserreede'' to avoid damage from ship's anchors. Offshore wind farms cannot be built within two nautical miles of the ''Tiefwasserreede''. As well as a mooring for ships, the ''Tiefwasserreede'' is also used as a dumping ground for

bay mud Bay mud consists of thick deposits of soft, unconsolidated silty clay, which is saturated with water; these soil layers are situated at the bottom of certain estuaries, which are normally in temperate regions that have experienced cyclical glac ...

from dredging of the Elbe at Hamburg.

References

{{Reflist Roadsteads of Europe Enclaves and exclaves Water transport in Germany