Protest on Rügen: Young socialists and climate activists against LNG terminal!

Protest on Rügen: Young socialists and climate activists against LNG terminal!

On the last weekend in May, around 60 people gathered in Mukran on Rügen to demonstrate against the LNG terminal there. Among the participants were young socialists, members of Fridays for Future and a citizens' initiative. Prominent voices such as Philipp Türmer, the federal chairman of the Jusos, and climate activist Luisa Neubauer supported the protests. Carla Reemtsma, spokeswoman for Fridays for Future Germany, expressed her concerns about Germany's dependence on fossil fuels and the associated environmental and health risks caused by fracking gas.

The worries of the demonstrators are directed not only against the fossil fuels themselves, but also against the immediate dangers that the LNG terminal and tankers could represent for the region. In particular, there is fear that the Baltic Sea and the island of Rügen will be threatened by the activities around the terminal. The terminal, which started regular operation in September 2024, faces challenges regarding the occupancy of the regasification ships.

technical difficulties and critical voices

A few days ago, on May 22, 2025, the LNG tanker Iberica Knutsen was grown outside of the Mukran port. Although the ship was quickly released again, the incident re-sparked criticism of Germany's LNG infrastructure. Environmental activists and critics criticize that the construction of the LNG terminals in Germany after the Russian attack on Ukraine was rushed to facilitate gas imports from the USA and other countries. The tanker, who came from Sabine Pass and has a capacity of 138,000 m³, showed strange movements before the grounding, which led to an immediate intervention by the water police and other emergency services.

Sascha Müller-Kraenner from the German Environmental Aid (DUH) warned of the security risks associated with the delivery of LNG and called for an immediate end of further deliveries. Critics of the Mukran terminal emphasize that the system is currently only operated with 5 % of its capacity. This is in contrast to the goals of the Federal Government, which has to rely on LNG to secure the gas supply after loss of pipeline gas deliveries from Russia.

Environmental effects of LNG

According to a study by Robert W. Howarth, liquid gas (LNG) in the emission balance sheet is more climate -damaging than coal. In particular, emissions from fracking technology, which is widespread in the United States, are alarming and could be up to 274 % above the emissions of coal. This is confirmed by several scientists who determine an increase in the climate-damaging record of LNG exports from the United States by 33 % over a period of 20 years.

The federal government is aware of this problem and is planning the construction of up to 13 LNG terminals in Germany, five of which are already in operation. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether this path can provide the right answers to the challenges of climate change and the guarantee of energy supply in the long term. Experts are increasingly in favor of exit from natural gas in the energy mix within the next two decades to achieve the climate goals and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels.

The protest and debates about the LNG terminal in Mukran continue to put the topic of security and environmental protection on the political agenda. The events of the past few days show that the uncertainties in the energy sector and the challenges due to climate change raise complex questions that urgently need to be answered.

For more information, read the reports from Mopo href = "https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/lng-tanker-grounds-in-mukran-parking-kriticism-about-germanys-lng-infrastructure/"> Marine Insight and Energy future .