This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Nowega puts first section of its hydrogen network into operation the long-distance transmission system operator Nowega GmbH is commissioning the first section of its hydrogen network Initial hydrogen filling of the pipeline between Lingen and Bad Bentheim has begun in Nordhorn The section in southwest Lower Saxony is the first part of the hydrogen core network and consists of 95 percent of existing pipelines that will be converted to transport hydrogen the conversion of the pipelines is supported by funds from the German federal government and the state of Lower Saxony as part of the IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) program State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs Construction and Digitalization of the State of Lower Saxony A sustainable hydrogen economy will only succeed if we convert and build the necessary pipelines locally with a view to the core hydrogen network “Today is a special day for the hydrogen ramp-up in Lower Saxony and especially for Nowega GmbH which is embarking on a path to the future with this project This shows that progress is being made.” The network section from Lingen to Bad Bentheim creates important connectivity options for producers and users of climate-friendly hydrogen we are providing the first transport capacities for the early phase of the hydrogen economy “The focus on using existing pipelines shows how we can implement the entry into hydrogen transport cost-efficiently and quickly.” the network section will be filled with a total of 28,500 cubic meters of hydrogen this was an excellent job by the entire project team We are now initially filling the system with hydrogen and will be ready for operation by mid-April Once the system has been brought up to operating pressure The initial filling will take place using hydrogen delivered by trailer The first central connection to Nowega’s hydrogen network is RWE Generation’s 300 MW electrolysis plant in Lingen which is scheduled to begin producing green hydrogen from renewable electricity this year The filling of Nowega’s first network section is excellent news for RWE “Because it makes the expansion of Germany’s core hydrogen network concrete the connection between our electrolysis site in Lingen and the RWE hydrogen storage facility in Gronau-Epe a reality We need this connection to ensure stable supplies to our customers the network is expected to expand further south The ongoing construction work for the transport of hydrogen on the joint pipeline operated by the Essen-based long-distance transmission system operator OGE and Nowega between Bad Bentheim and Legden in Münsterland is scheduled to be completed by then Further connections will be connected to this pipeline such as the one to the hydrogen storage facility in Epe an existing connection to the Marl Chemical Park and lines connecting industrial customers and the import route from the Netherlands We are very pleased that the construction work on the pipeline between Bad Bentheim and Legden is largely complete the planning approval for the Heek-Epe pipeline was recently received and construction work has started on schedule it will connect the aforementioned pipeline system with the hydrogen storage facility in Epe,” The deployment of the first sections of the hydrogen core network provides companies that want to produce or use hydrogen with the certainty that transport will be possible on time He added that it is now important that the new federal government continues to consistently support the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy The most important steps: reducing the production costs of climate-friendly hydrogen and creating incentives for its use This could enable the economic use of hydrogen as a decarbonization option for industry Nowega GmbH is a long-distance pipeline operator based in Münster This subsidiary of Erdgas Münster GmbH operates and markets a total of 1,500 kilometers of high-pressure gas pipelines with approximately 150 employees The pipeline network stretches from the Dutch border across Lower Saxony and parts of North Rhine-Westphalia to the Wendland region and is part of the intra-European natural gas transport routes Nowega is part of the GET H2 hydrogen initiative and is involved in several projects to develop Germany’s hydrogen network READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central Nowega puts first section of its hydrogen network into operation, source Hydrogen on show at the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps A pillar of endurance racing and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s efforts to decarbonise motorsport hydrogen will be highlighted during the forthcoming.. The Trump Administration Climate Plan: Red States Get Hydrogen a hydrogen hub in upheaval as natural gas producer pauses involvement while four others bail on the project South Australia closes Hydrogen Power SA office The state government of South Australia has rolled its Office of Hydrogen Power SA (OHPSA) into the Department of Energy and Mining (DEM) COPYRIGHT POLICY DISCLAIMER TERMS & CONDITIONS PRIVACY POLICY Don't be shy, get in touch. We love meeting interesting people and making new friends. ProductionCommissioning begins for first stretch of hydrogen pipelines to serve RWE's 300MW green H2 projectThe pipeline is part of a chain linking large-scale green hydrogen production with storage in Gronau-Epe Get quality reporting directly into your inbox When workers complained about what was going on they say they were fired and then threatened “One ton of bad meat is mixed with three tons of normal meat,” the workers told the ARD reporters “They say they were forced to mix spoiled ground chicken with fresh ground chicken.” The story offers a glimpse into practices in the meat-import business which in 2013 totaled US$ 629 million in Ukraine And that’s just the number for the “legitimate” meat importers business—it doesn’t include smuggled meat An investigation by reporters for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) indicates that meat is being trafficked into Ukraine Trinity’s website has a Russian language version apparently in attempt to reach the clientele from that region It worked for Ukraine as there are dozens of permits for meat imports from this company to Ukraine in the register of documents of the Ukrainian Ministry of Health For example, the Kharkiv Meat Processing Plant bought chicken from Trinity in 2010 till 2013 The Kharkiv plant did not produce a well-known brand of meat nor did it have a website; when reached on the phone they replied that the workers were no longer working there and shortly after talking to OCCRP it went out of business in December of 2014 But the Kharkiv plant did have a powerful co-owner: Volodymyr Skorobahach Skorobahach is a former member of the ruling Party of Regions then the ruling party of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych who as of December 2013 owned almost third of the company’s shares and was its top manager Skorobahach and his colleagues were willing to found the group for Khomutynnik, who not only led the youth wing of the Party of Regions, but also from 2007 chaired Parliament’s Committee on Taxation and Customs Policy in 2012 the Kharkiv Meat Processing Plant became one of the largest importers of meat to Ukraine according to an official reply from the State Customs Service Seven months after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia after months of public protests commonly known as EuroMaidan In December 2014 the court ruled that the company went bankrupt There might be questions about the meat Kharkiv was buying from Trinity then professor of Microbiology at the Münster University of Applied Sciences tested Trinity Gmbh meat and discovered a host of problems "We have found a lot of microbes - especially intestinal bacteria We have found things that can make us sick,” including samples containing decomposed fats indicating the meat was spoiled After the German TV report was aired last spring the Trinity Gmbh factory was investigated by prosecutors public prosecutor with Oldenburg Prosecutor’s Office the investigation is currently in progress against an executive of meat processing plant charged with violations of the German Food and Feed Code others that were working alongside it still exist founded in 2012 and in the process of liquidation as of Jan 30 have the same phone numbers and (until 2011) shared the same leadership director as the Kharkiv plant And they continued as latest June 2014 to import thousands of tons of meat into Ukraine According to the customs data for January 2013 through June 2014 VEK-Kharkiv imported 7,200 tons of Brazilian meat products with a declared value of US$14.7 million who lives in Ovruch in the Zhytomyr oblast first learned of a problem from other parents at his childrens’ school who used to complain about the quality of food in the school cafeteria “The headmaster replied that the food was fine We formed a parents' committee to check the products in the canteen ourselves,” says Korniychuk “We found Brazilian pork that cost nearly Hr 90 ($11.25 at then-exchange rates).” Pictures of that pork, taken in April 2013-- one month after Brazilian pork was banned from Ukraine after the State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service found it contained unacceptable levels of bacteria and microorganisms Brazilian pork was continued to be delivered to feed children and to medical institutions all over Ukraine the Ministry of Health was responsible for selecting food suppliers for medical facilities While the ministry issued tenders seeking the best combination of price and quality the tender regulations do not require bidders to disclose the producer of the product being procured they were not obliged to disclose that the pork was produced in Brazil who in mid-2013 was director of the canteen at the Crimean Tuberculosis Clinic №1 in Kerch returned from vacation that year to an unpleasant surprise When he inventoried the warehouse to see what food stores were on hand he found "150 kg of Brazilian meat plus two briquettes of beef with unclear origin even though it shouldn't have been accepted from the supplier without documented proof of quality Reporters from OCCRP learned that the meat in the Crimean tuberculosis clinic came from the Brazilian company Seara Alimentos Ltda and was imported by the Ukrainian Imperial Fish Company its packaging had a label in Russian and no corresponding text in Ukrainian which indicates the meat was likely smuggled into Ukraine A popular smuggling scheme often referred to as "interrupted transit," and it works like this: goods that arrive in Ukraine are to be transported to another country But on the way to Russia the product is diverted and sold instead on the black market in Ukraine Photos of the Brazilian meat packaging were sent to the Ukrainian State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service said that data on the label is not sufficient to determine whether the meat underwent sanitary control who at the time was the chief medical officer of the tuberculosis clinic found the situation of Brazilian meat in Crimea absurd "Doing inventory we saw a pigshoulder from Brazil (the clinic’s meat supplier) has a subsidiary in Brazil,” joked Timchenko of the Association of Pig Producers of Ukraine and hard-frozen in blocks--makes it hard to know what you are dealing with “It’s difficult to understand what is there – pure meat And often you get pressed together skin pieces which is actually production waste,” he says “It’s also very likely that this deeply frozen meat comes from food reserves you need to do special tests on levels of water saturation because with time water evaporates from the meat texture But I really don’t think anybody is doing it here.,” says Loza Another issue that could affect quality is the fact that those who are importing it are connected to those who are supposed to check it which imported the meat supplied to the Crimean clinic In 2013 the Fish Company shared a 89 million hryvnia (US$ 10,9 million) credit line from a Kyiv-based bank with three other companies from the group This institute is a key research institution in assessing whether food is suitable for importation into Ukraine On November 21, Russia’s Federal Security Service detained Karpenko, accusing him of being a “leader of an organized crime group” smuggling meat. The arrest came three days after a Russian Federal Security Service stopped a batch of meat at the border of Crimea, and subsequently discovered thousands tons of meat belonging to the same group at the warehouses in Simferopol, capital of Crimea Ukraine’s appeals court in an ongoing criminal investigation established that four companies from the Imperial group - Trade House Imperial BH Consulting-South and Viva LTD – were part of a criminal tax evasion scheme The court ordered the seizing of more than 100 tons of Brazilian pork stored at the group’s warehouses Karpenko’s case follows a pattern typical in Ukraine: a businessman becomes a public officer who controls areas related to his business interests Currently, the institute is headed by Volodymyr Zahrebelnyy. However, the switch is unlikely to shake up the industry. According to his official biography, previously Zahrebelnyy was a director of the Yenakiieve Meat Plant This company was de-facto controlled by former Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Prysiazhniuk and Yuriy Ivaniushchenko a Donetsk-based businessman who admitted being an acquaintance of former president Yanukovych In 1996-2003 Prysiazhniuk was director of the British company Reef Holdings Plc. which controlled the Yenakiieve Meat Plant Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor charged that plant with trying to smuggle 25 tons of beef from Brazil who led the agricultural ministry in 2010-2014 since the State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service was under his direction He was ultimately responsible for deciding whether to allow ractopamine in Ukraine the drug makes pigs leaner but may cause side effects according to official statistics of the State Customs Service two Donetsk companies that share the same address appeared in the list of the largest importers of meat into Ukraine They also share the same phone number with another prosperous importer Although Ukrprodimport and Doninvest-2010 are registered in the names of unknown people and are already in the process of liquidation the third company is better known than the other two He also headed the Donetsk company East Ukrainian Center for Reconstruction and Development Podtynnyy replaced Ivaniushchenko as owner of the company UGK-2000 Plc At least on one occasion the meat bought by the Donetsk firm was smuggled into Russia and where Brazilian pork is banned for import president of the Association of Pig Producers of Ukraine says pork production in Brazil is less tightly regulated than it is in Ukraine The drug that specifically worries Loza is ractopamine ractopamine is popular on animal feedlots where it is legal more lean gain—with no effect on meat quality,” This is how this “miracle” drug is promoted to farmers by American manufacturer Elanco which produces ractopamine under the brand name Paylean Not according to the European Food Safety Authority an independent European agency funded by the EU which during animal testing found that ractopamine can lead to "tachycardia Ractopamine in limited doses is allowed in the USA more than 300 studies in 13 countries confirmed the safety and efficiency of Paylean,” says an Elanco brochure about ractopamine there is a remark in fine print on the last page of the brochure: Individuals with cardiovascular disease should exercise special caution to avoid exposure Ractopamine may increase the number of injured and/ or fatigued pigs "Raw meat of Brazilian origin was found during a check of four (cars supposed to be hauling) fresh cabbage by the Kaluga Regional Office. In particular, 42 tons of pork… (Some) of the labels had an inscription: "Doninvest-2010 Plc., 14 Adygeiska str., Donetsk". Moreover, cabbage was used as a ‘cover’ product" - extract from the report of Rosselkhoznadzor the Russian veterinary and sanitary control service As many former USSR countries are chronically short of domestic meat The Armenian investigative reporting organization Hetq.am in 2013 exposed a company connected to the family of Armenian Member of Parliament Samvel Aleksanyan for importing Brazilian chicken into Armenia which was imported through Aleksanyan's company contained extremely high levels of testosterone Tainted meat has found its way into major multinational food chains as well  that had not been stored at the proper temperature Asked about previous contracts with the Brazilian factory the McDonalds' office in Ukraine did not respond they said that chicken is supplied to its Ukrainian fast food outlets by the German and Hungarian branches of the international company OSI Food Solutions which is headquartered in the US state of Illinois The German division of OSI Food Solutions buys raw meat at farms located both within the country and abroad said the official reply from McDonalds Ukraine Ltd What countries are being referred to when they say “abroad” is not clear. In July 2014, the Chinese unit of OSI Food Solutions was closed because of alleged supplying spoiled meat through the networks of fast food suppliers. Because of this, McDonalds had to apologize to customers We recommend: Contaminated chicken sold in major food stores in Armenia Support from readers like you helps OCCRP expose organized crime and corruption around the world you’ll be directly supporting investigative journalism as a public good You’ll also gain access to exclusive insights and benefits Though he had served Venezuela’s socialist revolutionary leader Hugo Chávez for many years Shortages of essential goods and services has hit maternal health in Venezuela hard A New York man was sentenced this week to 18 months in prison for trafficking exotic African cats you can easily visit many festive and unique markets Whether you prefer to stay close to home or are willing to travel a bit further we have listed the best Christmas markets for you Photo by Emiel MuijdermanDeventerCharles Dickens fans take note: Deventer hosts an annual Dickens Festival the characters from Charles Dickens' novels come to life and you’ll feel as though you’ve stepped into a 19th-century English town you can visit two charming Christmas markets in the city making it the perfect destination for an enjoyable day trip you can never go wrong with our German neighbours there are no less than six different Christmas markets held in the city centre With around 300 beautifully lit stalls offering unique gifts all kinds of delicacies such as apfelstrüdel Also convenient: Münster is easy to reach by a direct train from Enschede you will arrive in the city centre of Münster from where you can walk straight to the first Christmas market because for a fixed amount you can buy a cheap group ticket for up to 5 people The location makes this Christmas market very unique as it takes place on the grounds of Bentheim Castle you can also visit the exhibition rooms of the castle itself The Christmas market is open from Friday to Sunday and entrance costs €8 Bad Bentheim is easy to reach by train: from Enschede What makes this market so special is its location: most of it takes place in the underground marlstone caves of Valkenburg Christmas lights and light sculptures that create a magical atmosphere you have to buy tickets for around €10 each The Christmas market in Valkenburg is very popular Valkenburg is quite a journey from Enschede but it’s well worth it if you make a weekend trip out of it or combine it with a visit to the Christmas market in Maastricht or Aachen One of the best (and biggest!) Christmas markets in Germany can be found in Düsseldorf Scattered throughout the city are seven Christmas markets it offers a fantastic view of the entire city Then go ice-skating on the ice rink and warm up with chocolate milk or glühwein afterwards Düsseldorf is not a quick trip from Enschede with public transport so be sure to invite a friend with a car or book a bus trip online because in Enschede you can also enjoy the Christmas spirit in December While there is no traditional Christmas market with stalls the city centre is decorated with beautiful lights and you can skate on the ice rink on the Oude Markt there is a free light art route with light projections throughout the city centre Perfect for a cosy afternoon or evening with friends Stories on this platform cover our latest research by pioneering scientists and student life at the University of Twente Questions, tips?E-mail us at stories@utwente.nl The German police started performing border controls at midnight The ANWB warned motorists to expect heavier traffic on the roads toward Germany and delays at the border According to NOS the German authorities are doing checks on the A30 near Bad Bentheim The police were also checking passports at the border crossing on the A7 near Bad Nieuweschans, RTV Noord reported. At border crossings further south, the police were not checking at fixed points but said they would “respond flexibly.” At 8:22 a.m., the ANWB reported that traffic jams on the A12 from the German border to Arnhem and the German border to Utrecht were causing a few minutes of delays. Traffic was also building up on the N352 from Leiden toward the German border. Last week, Germany decided to implement border controls to keep out terrorists and undocumented migrants. The measure will apply for at least six months. Germany also implemented border controls during the European Football Championship in the summer. At the time, those led to delays of up to 45 minutes, according to the ANWB. © 2012-2025, NL Times, All rights reserved. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Ronald H.W. Hoppe, professor of mathematics at the University of Houston, passed away on February 8 in Bad Bentheim, Germany. He was a highly respected and cherished member of the UH and global mathematics community, and his loss is felt profoundly by all who knew him. Hoppe’s professional journey was remarkable and inspiring, and his contributions to the development and growth of applied and computational mathematics were significant on a global scale. He was known for his contributions to the field of numerical partial differential equations and optimization, with a focus on multigrid methods, adaptive finite element methods, and optimal control problems. His work had real-life applications, such as microfluidic biochips and electrorheological fluids. Hoppe joined the UH Department of Mathematics in 2002 as a tenured professor and continued to make significant contributions to his field until his passing. He will be remembered as a brilliant mathematician, an exceptional teacher, a supportive colleague, and a dear friend. Born on April 10, 1951, in Nordhorn, Germany, Hoppe earned his diploma in mathematics with a secondary subject in physics from the Technische Universität Berlin in 1975. Four years later, he completed his doctoral thesis, and in 1986, obtained his habilitation, the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve in Europe. Throughout his academic career, Hoppe held various academic positions at institutions across the globe, including the University of Linköping in Sweden and the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences in New York. He was appointed to the C3-Professorship at the Mathematical Institute of TU Munich in 1990 and later the C4-Professorship at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Augsburg. He authored several books and over 200 scientific articles during his career and advised over 20 Ph.D. students and numerous postdoctoral fellows. His former Ph.D. students have gone on to advise almost 60 doctoral candidates. Hoppe also served on several editorial boards and had an impressive international network of friends and colleagues due to his natural scientific ability, patience, willingness to listen, affability, and love for conversation. While at UH, he taught many graduate-level courses, including Optimization Theory, Finite Element Methods, Numerical Differential Equations, Numerical Analysis, and Optimization and Variational Methods. During this difficult time, our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to Hoppe’s family, friends, and colleagues. To pay tribute and celebrate his extraordinary achievements, the UH Department of Mathematics will hold an event on campus in Spring 2024. University of HoustonDepartment of MathematicsPhilip Guthrie Hoffman Hall3551 Cullen Blvd, Room 641Houston, Texas 77204-3008713-743-3500 ©2025 University of Houston. All rights reserved. You don't have permission to access this resource. Bardel Bad Bentheim Franciscan monastery, which has a museum housing a collection of 600 artefacts brought back from Brazil, is co-operating with the cataloguing project Germany’s monasteries and convents are beginning to investigate collections of objects brought home by missionaries overseas during the colonial era with assistance from a church project that aims to help them produce inventories, conduct provenance research and eventually, if appropriate, return objects to the countries of origin. The project, Historic Mission Collections, is based at the mission research institute at the Sankt Georgen college of theology and philosophy in south-western Germany. It arose in part in the context of a wider debate about museum collections acquired in the colonial era. “Some are well conserved and on display in museums but there are also collections that are in storage,” Markus ScholzBut maintaining collections is also a concern for some of the religious communities affected, says Markus Scholz, an anthropologist and historian working on the project. An initial survey looked at the collections of around 50 Catholic communities. In the case of more than half of these, no inventory has so far been compiled, Scholz says. “Some are well conserved and on display in museums but there are also collections that are in storage,” Scholz says. “Religious communities face dwindling resources, both financial and in terms of personnel. Taking care of collections is difficult.” Many of these objects originate from German colonies, but not all; German missions were also active in the colonies of other European powers and in independent countries. Mission collections contain artefacts and specimens from Africa, Asia and South America. The circumstances under which items were acquired varied enormously, Scholz says. “Objects were found, given, exchanged, bought and sometimes acquired under circumstances in which missionaries took advantage of the asymmetric power relations that characterised the colonial context,” he says. Missionaries also commissioned objects from local craftsmen, he adds. “Some collections date back to the 18th century, when missionaries brought back natural specimens with the intention of explaining to future missionaries what they should expect in the countries when they arrive there,” Scholz says. “In the late 19th century, the objects served more of a promotional purpose: religious communities displayed them so that interested visitors could marvel at objects from faraway countries and exhibitions became widespread.” Scholz says he is optimistic that the provenance of many of the objects involved can be traced thanks to an extensive archive of surviving documents. “There are a lot of written sources,” he says. “Missionaries corresponded a great deal, and there were also mission newspapers.” The Franciscan monastery Bardel Bad Bentheim is among the religious communities co-operating with the Historic Missions Collections project. The monastery houses a museum containing around 600 objects brought back from Brazil since the mission there was founded in 1922. Franciscan monks from Bardel are still active in the north-east of Brazil and in the Amazon region. The museum’s collection includes Brazilian folk art and indigenous handicraft, and an array of natural specimens such as snails, seashells, mineral samples and butterflies and insects, says Father Wilhelm Ruhe, who lives in the monastery. One of its prize objects is a feathered decoration originating from the Munduruku people of the Amazon River basin; another is a drum made from a hollowed tree trunk. “We don’t yet know much about the provenance of individual objects,” Ruhe says. The monastery intends to “create a professional inventory and documentation” with the help of the Historic Mission Collections project, he says. “When we have the results, we can think about what should happen to the objects,” he adds. “We would like to keep the museum here and perhaps create a new exhibition with outside assistance, but if there is interest in Brazil for specific objects, perhaps this would be a good opportunity to discuss these things in a global church dialogue, and possibly return pieces to Brazil.” Luber’s first priority is to ensure that the Historic Mission Collections project can be financially sustained. Its initial funding was provided by the religious orders themselves and the Catholic organisation Justitia et Pax, he says—but for now, the funding is only secure for another year. “We are looking at how we can continue this project,” Luber says. “Everyone agrees that it is very important, but when it comes to funding it for the long term, it is difficult. The financing for the long term is not secured.” news5 October 2022Provenance database shines light on looted art in Bavarian collectionsMunich-based foundation follows other German institutions in quest for transparency disclosing ownership of 1,200 works acquired since 1933 with over 500 pieces flagged as "former Nazi property" news17 May 2023Berlin museums to look into origins of archaeological collections Research could lead to restitutions if artefact were found to have been excavated or exported illegally news4 February 2021Netherlands takes lead in Europe’s efforts to return artefacts to former colonies The Dutch government adopts a committee’s “radical” guidelines putting it at the forefront of European efforts to return colonial-era museum acquisitions By 2021-03-31T09:54:00+01:00 Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG has awarded incumbent and sole bidder Bentheimer Eisenbahn a contract to contiune operating the RB56 Regiopa Express service on the Bad Bentheim – Nordhorn – Neuenhaus route for 15 years from December 12 2021 to continue to operate local rail sercies for the next 15 years and to create jobs in the region’ said Bentheimer Eisenbahn CEO Joachim Berends on March 29 The contract covers the operation of 326 000 train-km/year using the existing fleet of Alstom Coradia Lint 41 diesel multiple-units although every service will have an onboard attendant and there will be improvements to passener information in the event of disruption and closer monitoring of cleanliness and onboard facilities Passenger services on the 28 km previously freight-only route were revived in July 2019 and LNVG said it was too early to produce estimates of likely ridership in the longer term EUROPE: The German Land of Niedersachsen has approved the start of preliminary works paving the way for the reintroduction of a passenger service on the freight-only line from Neuenhaus to Coevorden in the Netherlands The Land has applied for federal funding to cover 90% of the .. Operates freight service between Bad Bentheim--Ochtup Brechte Also hauls mainly petroleum over DB Netz from Barnstorf to Holthausen Address Otto-Hahn-Straße 148529 NordhornGermanyPhone +49 5921 8033 0Fax +49 5921 8033 11 Email info@bentheimer-eisenbahn.de Website .. GERMANY: Passenger services were reintroduced on the 28 km Bad Bentheim – Neuenhaus route in Niedersachsen on July 6 following a €21m project to upgrade Bentheimer Eisenbahn’s previously freight-only line Discounted preview fares were offered on the first day with the full revenue service beginning on July 7 Site powered by Webvision Cloud A German engineering and fabrication firm has designed new AC drawworks suitable for Arctic drilling conditions finished the prototype in June and will send the first four sets of drawworks to western Siberia in second-half 2006 and early 2007 incorporated into cluster slider rigs for TMK-BP Ltd Bentec has 270 employees and produces about 10 drilling rigs and other equipment each year Originally part of a company founded in 1888 which was renamed Deutsche Tiefbohr AG -Deutag-in 1919 and taken over by the Preussag Group in 1990 Bentec became a separate subsidiary in 1993-94 Aberdeen-based Abbot Group PLC took over both Bentec and KCA Deutag (OGJ Online Bentec’s core business is designing and fabricating built-for-purpose drilling and workover rigs but it also supplies engineering and logistical services and piecemeal mechanical and electrical systems The company has a history of customizing rigs in many different countries particularly for the desert environments in Libya and Oman and repairing rigs with a variety of pumps and drawworks Bentec now maintains offices in Azerbaijan “The market drives us to land drilling,” Uwe Singer Although Bentec specializes in fit-for-purpose land rigs it has completed platform rigs for the North Sea and the Caspian Sea (CHWO Shell; Brent Charlie; Esso Jotun; Oseberg Sor; AGIP KCO) models of which grace the company headquarters in Bad Bentheim Bentec has also recently tendered bids for platform rigs in Iran But platform rig projects have large financial exposures and there is not enough demand to produce them in a serial mode Too many of the company’s limited engineering resources are required for a large platform rig project Sister company KCA Deutag operates 34 platform rigs and 62 land rigs Because the drawworks are the heart of any rig Bentec’s managers take pride in now having their own design 1 shows Bentec’s new drawworks in Bad Bentheim that incorporate Bentec-built AC motors without the usual heavy gearbox only air and AC power for the arctic destinations with the exception of the Wichita air-cooled brakes (from Wichita Clutch These model 6032 electric brakes are regenerative and electromagnetic The mechanical brake system is an air-operated triple-disc brake Bentec’s microprocessor-controlled feed-off control system (FOCS) automatic driller is included and provides continuous control of several drilling parameters Bentec’s research and development coordinator and project supervisor explained that the company conducted a 2-day failure mode effect analysis (FMEA) session on the new drawworks with external experts from industry and Rheinisch-Westfälischen Hochschule (RWTH) This theoretical exercise was to build the protocol and produced a CE (Conformité Européenne) mark and Bentec’s required Declaration of Conformity (The CE mark is the official marking required by the European Community for all electric and electronic equipment that will be sold the second HR-5000 harsh-environment rig now en route to Russia Bentec has been part of the European Drilling Rig Alliance along with Italy’s Drillmec SPA and Germany’s Wirth GMBH (OGJ and Bentec supplied mechanical and electrical components for the rest of the drilling and mud systems All three companies exhibited under the EDRA banner at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston earlier this year Bentec sent SCR (silicon-controlled rectifier) units and mud systems to Italy and Drillmec assembled and shipped four drilling rigs to Algeria in 2005-06 is responsible for all of Bentec’s Russian activities and believes that the company can enhance its position in Russia He told OGJ that working through the logistics for projects in Russia is straightforward and predictable but that success hinges on managing expectations requiring attention to rules and regulations set by Gosstandart the national standards body and Gosgortechnadzor The new 1,500-hp cluster slider rigs are being built to Russian GOST standards (Fig Albrecht pointed out that API is not a globally mandated standard although Bentec rigs have been built to meet ISO 9001 and API specifications in the past (OGJ Online Bentec has a registered office in Kaliningrad with responsibility for sales and wellsite services The company intends to establish a manufacturing facility in Tyumen that would employ 200-300 workers to build 6-8 rigs/year Bentec has signed letters of intent and is evaluating a construction site and tank systems in Tyumen could begin by first-quarter 2008 and the Russian-built Bentec rigs would include “performance-enhanced drilling components from Germany.” Bentec’s focus area is Russia and the company will “Russianize,” Singer said the company is building four more HR-5000 rigs in Germany The substructures and masts (57 m high) for the T-502 and T-503 were being assembled at the TST yard in Nordhorner Rigs are trucked from Bad Bentheim to the port of Nordenham It takes about 2 months to assemble and test all the rig components The T-503 and T-504 should be finished and shipped by yearend; the fourth rig Although the Yekaterinburg-based Uralmash Joint Stock Co could produce all rigs required for the Russian market Albrecht said that Uralmash tried to use western-style manufacturing processes in the 1990s that included outsourcing components but found the price point increases unacceptable Bentec is positioning a version of the HR-4000 rig as a substitute for the Uralmash BU-3000 rig in the Russian market Albrecht said the HR-4000 could be built at 15% lower cost than the HR-5000 and could move in 12-15 days while the HR-5000 takes about 40 days pad-to-pad can drill shallow wells in 10-15 days but requires 45-50 days to move provide significant time and cost savings in drilling and rig move time Singer said he wants to build hundreds of the HR-4000 rigs He said there are about 450 land rigs in Russia with hook load capacity of 175 tonnes or greater but about 70% of those were at least 15 years old mechanical rigs with chain-driven rotary tables and duplex pumps would each cost $7 million to upgrade Nonproductive time is about 24% with Russian rigs and new or upgraded rigs would be far more efficient Bentec sent SCR and MCC components for two BU-3900 Uralmash rigs to Salym Petroleum Development a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and OAD Evikhon The land rigs have a 3,900-m drilling depth capacity The company plans to send components for a BU-3200 rig at the end of 2006 There is “a push to increase Russian content,” Singer said Bentec will manufacture rigs in Russia and will become a Russian company told OGJ that the company needed a specialized yard “closer to our customers” to provide repair services and to complete rig upgrades but all drilling contractors were sending rigs to Muscat and then on to Dubai for repairs and servicing LLC (IDTEC) is a joint venture with Omani partner AOTC Although primarily staffed by Omani and Indian nationals two German maintenance supervisors work on 5-week rotations and the operations manager is Australian The new IDTEC yard is open to all drilling contractors and all makes of rigs The first project involved repairing a 3,000-hp drilling rig and now the yard is busy with two American workover rigs and performing inspections for certifications 3-year training programs for technicians in electrical and mechanical systems there are 17 new electrical trainees and the company adds about 6/year The mechanical systems program takes on about 3-5 new trainees/year with 9-15 in the program at any given time The training areas (Ausbildungs Werkstatt) at Bad Bentheim are immaculate housed in brightly lit spacious brick buildings with high windows and ample overhead crane tracks (Fig Rueggen said that the company has about 90% retention; only about 10% of the staff leaves after training Most begin with the company immediately following secondary school (16-17 years old); several move on to complete university studies after the training and return to Bentec as engineers Sister company KCA Deutag offers the complementary DART program-Deutag Advanced Rig Training-in Aberdeen KCAD established a new training facility in Tripoli which graduated its first class in April 2006 90% of the Libyan graduates left the company a proportion opposite that of German-trained candidates KCAD has four companies to consolidate in Libya including its recent acquisition of Tripoli-based ILI Corp Singer said that Bentec envisions a triangular marketing format based on repair and certification work in the Middle East; serial rig production in Russia; and specialized purpose-built rig design and fabrication in Bad Bentheim We want to “stay in our market segments and maintain margins,” he said The company is looking for an additional yard in the Middle East to perform additional assembly Bentec will probably never produce off-the-shelf There is more competition there from Chinese manufacturers which can turn out hundreds of rigs each year Bentec is presently building two 1,500-hp “Nomad” rigs for a customer Bentec needs to leverage its expertise and produce increasingly sophisticated products that incorporate new technologies One of the company’s business philosophies is to outsource low-value work and increase capacity for high-value work Another possible strategic change would be to concentrate on high-value components rather than producing complete rigs in-house executive chairman Alastair Locke said the company “will continue to make investments in land drilling units” as Bentec will “provide the capacity for new builds This is a major advantage...given that a number of major suppliers or rigs and rig equipment” are capacity constrained Regional offices will also give the group “access to more projects...to modernize the rig fleet.” Major projects for Bentec in 2004-06 include: Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience This year's list includes a new entrant in the coveted three star category The city of Wrocław within the Dolnośląskie Region is the fifth Polish destination to be featured in the Guide The full restaurant selection for The MICHELIN Guide Poland will be announced on Tuesday 10th June 2025 The Mexican capital takes center stage alongside the culinary world's top talents The Golden State's capital welcomes the culinary world's top talents Six states join the illustrious selection with the region's signature flair and flavors Explore the just-revealed full list of 654 MICHELIN-Star restaurants in France 2025 The 68 new Stars for the 2025 edition appear in red Explore the just-revealed full list of MICHELIN-Star restaurants in Paris 2025 The MICHELIN Guide unveils its 2025 Jiangsu Province selection in Nanjing a historic yet modern culinary powerhouse along the Yangtze River The MICHELIN Guide has arrived in the Philippines setting its sights on Manila and Environs & Cebu for its highly anticipated 2026 debut With our expert Inspectors already exploring the country’s vibrant dining scene Filipino cuisine is poised to take centre stage on the global culinary map The MICHELIN Guide announces top honors for German hotels in 2024 The ins and outs of the most outstanding hotels in the country Discover Munich's cultural and culinary highlights from city center restaurants to insider tips from the city's locals The Lone Star State becomes the 11th MICHELIN Guide destination in North America Da Nang becomes the third Vietnamese destination to be scouted by the MICHELIN Guide Inspectors Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang will be revealed in June 2024 Michelin revealed the new restaurant selection for The MICHELIN Guide Germany at a launch event held in Hamburg With a record 340 Stars recommended this year German gastronomy now shines brighter than ever we present some very individual restaurants in and around Munich that have one thing in common: all have a Bib Gourmand – a mark of excellent value for money the MICHELIN Key recognizes the most exceptional hotels throughout the world Following its eagerly awaited opening last year Jan Hartwig’s new restaurant JAN in Munich has been awarded three MICHELIN stars catapulting it into the stratosphere of top restaurants in record time Non-members can add the privileges at checkout through our 30 day free trial By continuing I accept the Terms & Condition and Privacy Policy. I would like to receive Newsletter from MICHELIN Guide Save lists of your favorite restaurants & hotels Site developed by     Copyright © Yedioth Internet NS hopes to launch a new night train from Amsterdam to Vienna on 14 December 2025 in collaboration with its Austrian counterpart ÖBB, De Stentor reported based on documents submitted to the market regulator ACM and several German and Austrian locations before reaching the destination 14 hours and 9 minutes later The current Nightjet runs from Amsterdam via Innsbruck to Vienna NS and ÖBB plan to split the existing line into two The connection via Innsbruck will continue to exist and the route via Deventer will be added at the end of next year The rail companies plan to use the new generation Nightjet trains There will also be a sleeping car with 36 beds and two couchette cars with 30 beds Additional seating will be available for 66 seats spread over 11 compartments The estimated timetable submitted to the ACM shows that the train will depart from Amsterdam at 7:08 p.m. The return train will leave Vienna at 8:10 p.m. and end its journey in Amsterdam at 9:49 a.m The night train from the Netherlands to Austria made a comeback in 2021 and was met with great enthusiasm Some 100,000 travelers used it in its first year back Two black-clad German police officers watch as a large white van approaches the Dutch-German border and slows One officer waves the van into an adjacent car park for a quick check of its cargo while the other stands back gleaming Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun “You never know who’s in the car,” says Frederik “Or what they’ve taken,” adds a colleague at the Bundespolizei (federal police) checkpoint After a short inspection of the van’s contents – what looks like large boxes of sweets – the driver rejoins lorries and private cars that roll from the Netherlands on the A30 Autobahn into Lower Saxony near Bad Bentheim Welcome to the EU’s Schengen free travel area in 2024 Last September Germany extended to its north, western and southwestern borders with the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Denmark and France the checks it already operated on its Austrian, Czech, Swiss and Polish borders. The decision was a political response to a series of violent attacks involving failed asylum seekers in Germany, including a knife attack that left three dead. Three months on the temporary checks on the German-Dutch border are still operating 24/7 with temporary infrastructure of shelters, containers and about a dozen officers per 12-hour shift. This is a curious moment in the history of the Schengen area, named after the Luxembourg village where the dream of open European borders was first agreed 40 years ago next year. Enacted a decade later in 1995, 25 of the EU’s 27 members are part of the club. Ireland remains outside, a legacy of UK reservations and the island’s division, but Schengen continues to grow. Bulgaria and Romania will join the free travel area on January 1st, with final border checks set to end in July 2025. Simultaneously, however, founding member states are chipping away at the original idea – some would say ideal – of Schengen. Today the Netherlands becomes the 11th Schengen country to impose checks on its borders. The move is in response to security concerns, it says, and controls Germany introduced last September. Germany has the most land borders in the EU – nine – nearly 3,800km of borders. For the last decade creeping checks mean its borders are no longer as invisible as they are supposed to be. At the height of the refugee crisis Germany introduced police checks on its border to Austria. Then in October 2023 federal interior minister Nancy Faeser introduced stationary checkpoints on the Polish/Czech/Swiss borders. These “temporary” measures are set to be renewed, again, on December 15th. The measures on Germany’s western Dutch/Belgian/French/Luxembourg borders from mid-September are up for renewal mid-March. Ms Faeser, previously opposed to such checks, justifies them now due to a growing risk from “Islamist terrorism”. Germany needs to police all its borders because of a “high abstract threat situation with, at present, no concrete indications of danger”. Last September’s checks, she promised, would be implemented “flexibly, based on the situation on the ground” to minimise disruption for workers, carers, tradespeople and other cross-border traffic. For its stretch of the German-Dutch border Lower Saxony has chosen a mixed model. Stationary checkpoints on three road crossings are operated primarily by drafted-in riot police. Local federal police, meanwhile, operate round-the-clock mobile units – uniformed and plain clothes – on smaller countryside border road crossings. At the Bad Bentheim border crossing, press officer Ralf Löning says on-the-ground visual checks are key to the effort. Small transporters are inspected closely, particularly if there is a lot of luggage or if identification and other documentation do not match up to answers. “There are no full controls. Not every car is stopped nor are the trucks, which are sealed. Instead our concept is to keep things moving as much as possible,” said Löning, pointing to the open road behind the approaching cars. So far the checks have not operated in the busy summer season, he says, though traffic remained manageable during the recent midterm break. After the white van is let on its way officers turn their attention to an SUV pulling what appears to be an Italian food catering trailer. Two men – darker with beards – smile as they answer questions. After almost 10 minutes they are still there. Löning says physical appearance alone is not a criteria for closer checks. “We don’t want to discriminate against anyone, and appearance is far less of a factor than, say, ID and other documentation,” said Löning. “A Dutch man of North African origin in a BMW with his wife and two kids in the back is less likely to be stopped than a group of younger men travelling together in a van.” The Dutch-German border is not known as a hotspot for irregular migration, a fact confirmed by official figures released on Friday. In the 77 days from the introduction of border checks until December 1st, checks on the Lower Saxony-Dutch border uncovered 15 cases of trafficking involving 39 people. Other outcomes include 14 asylum applications and 113 people detained over active European arrest warrants. “Those with less-than-innocent motives can no longer assume they won’t get picked up moving across Europe,” said Löning. The Dutch-German border is better known for drug smuggling but that is the purview of customs officers, none of whom are stationed at these checkpoints. The federal interior ministry declines to explain how it weighs up the cost-benefits of 24/7 police controls on its borders. Each border is different and “the respective situation has to be regularly reviewed and considerable grounds provided to the European Commission why this ultima ratio has been chosen”. Countrywide figures released this week show that since checks were extended to all German borders on September 16th federal police prevented 8,451 attempted illegal entries, with 300 traffickers detained. No figures are available just for the new, western border controls but in October 2024, the first full month of checks on all borders, almost 7,000 such cases were logged countrywide. This represents a 120 per cent drop on the same month in 2023 despite the addition in September of 42 per cent more border to check. The Schengen Borders Code (SBC) allows member states to temporarily reintroduce border controls in the event of a serious threat to internal security “as a last resort measure, in exceptional situations, and must respect the principle of proportionality”. A European Commission spokesman says it must be informed in advance but that it has no powers to reject any application for temporary border controls. More than 400 applications for “temporary” controls have been filed since 2015, most renewed every six months. Things may change under new common EU asylum and migration rules from 2026. For now, though, Germany’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), likely to head any new government after a snap federal election expected in February, is likely to retain the status quo. “Since the introduction of border controls the number of illegal entries has fallen noticeably, and over 1,000 people smugglers have been stopped,” said Alexander Throm, CDU interior spokesman in the Bundestag. “We must not leave our borders to people smugglers and traffickers.” Facebook pageTwitter feed© 2025 The Irish Times DAC Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.