A rock in the surf.

2006 is a year that left deep scars on the North Sea. On 1 November that year, one of the most severe storm surges of the past 100 years struck the East Frisian Islands. The so-called All Saints' Flood destroyed anchored boats, breached the protective dunes and even catapulted heavy boats a hundred metres inland.

The fact that the population was spared major damage and no lives were put at risk is thanks to Lower Saxony's conscientious coastal protection. And for years it has relied on its own reliable partner: the Unimog.

Carina de Vries is a rarity in the far north: “the only woman who runs an NLWKN depot otherwise staffed exclusively by male colleagues,” the 32-year-old explains with a modest smile. In autumn 2020 the trained water engineer took over the management of the Hilgenriedersiel depot, which is directly attached to the NLWKN operational site in the nearby town of Norden. The site is one of the “engine rooms” of Lower Saxony’s coastal protection: important technical equipment is kept here for coastal protection work, but also for other central tasks such as hazardous-material incident response.

From Hilgenriedersiel, among other things, the so-called brushwood groynes in the region are maintained; these already mitigate the floods before the dikes are breached. But that is not the only task Carina de Vries and her team undertake.

The NLWKN is, among other things, responsible throughout the state for the planning and construction of coastal protection structures. In addition to state-owned coastal protection projects, it also serves as the planning partner for the 22 main dike associations. The NLWKN's operating yards take care of the maintenance of state-owned waterways and facilities for coastal and flood protection. With its Coastal Research Unit, the NLWKN ensures the regular inspection of Lower Saxony's coastal protection works and further develops the necessary tools and instruments. The NLWKN also operates a storm surge and flood warning service to help prevent hazardous situations.

More about the state agency at: nlwkn.niedersachsen.de

“We also keep equipment here for responding to hazardous substance incidents,” explains the young depot manager. These are usually oil pollution incidents that, in the event of an accident at sea, also threaten the Lower Saxony coast. For such an eventuality, oil spill response vessels are kept ready not only in various ports around the state. In Hilgenriedersiel there are also two off-road tracked excavators, Hägglund vehicles including accessories, and an off-road truck. In addition, there are forklifts, mudflat sleds, more than 1,000 m of oil booms, and emergency power generators. Things that need to be transported.

And not all vehicles manage to get that far onto the foreshore.

The do-it-all vehicle from Daimler Truck is a fixture among the coastal protection teams. It has been so since the state agency was founded in 1998 – even before the NLWKN operated under its current name and also took on nature conservation responsibilities in the state. “The Unimog is in use with us every day and performs various tasks,” reports Carina de Vries. All-wheel drive and differential lock, plus 431 mm ground clearance thanks to factory-fitted portal axles, make it a versatile work vehicle both in front of and behind the dike.

Thanks to the Unimog’s off-road capability, the coastal protection site in Hilgenriedersiel can supply the two nearby depots on the mainland and the seven depots on the islands with everything they need: from building materials such as wood or stones for paving work or fencing materials – for example to restore pastures – to equipment for dike mowing.

Additionally, coastal protection also benefits from the Unimog’s permissible gross vehicle weight of up to 14 tonnes and a gross train weight of up to 40 tonnes. These allow, for example, the attachment of a low loader, with which the Unimog tows the two tracked excavators onto the so‑called schutes (unpowered transport barges) to bring them to their respective deployment sites.

But the Unimog is also used when the excavators require repairs. Or when they need to be supplied with mobile refuelling units. And with a top speed of 89 km/h, it is also quick on the move.

In Hilgenriedersiel, the Unimog U 430 is also in operation all year round. In summer, when the dikes of the East Frisian islands need mowing and mulching, the implement carrier scores with powerful front and rear power take-offs. These allow it to deploy its full engine power for attachments such as — in this case — mowers.

In winter the Unimog handles the removal of the so-called teek, i.e. drift material that accumulates over the course of the year on the shallower summer dikes in front of the main dike line.

Given the many tasks the special truck takes on, Carina de Vries and the NLWKN are more than happy to have this all-rounder from Mercedes‑Benz in their fleet.