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Stranded whale rescue running out of time as ‘exhausted’ humpback remains stuck in Baltic Sea | World News

Published

3 hours ago

26 March 2026

Stranded whale rescue running out of time as 'exhausted' humpback remains stuck in Baltic Sea | World News

Rescuers who have been trying to free a whale stranded in shallow water off the north German coast have said “every minute counts” as they battle to release the animal.

Sven Biertumpfel, of the Sea Shepherd marine conservation group, told Sky News if they cannot get it off the shore “it will probably die there, because it’s exhausting for the whale”.

Asked how long the 10m (33ft) humpback whale, thought to be a male, has left to live if it stays stuck, he said it can take “up to one week or even longer” for an animal that size to suffocate.

The whale is marooned off the Timmendorfer Strand beach on the Baltic Sea coastline of the Schleswig-Holstein region, where rescue efforts began on Monday.

As for how the whale came to be in the area, Mr Biertumpfel said the Baltic Sea is not a humpback’s natural habitat, adding “maybe he followed some fish or some food”.

The water has less salt than the North Sea or the Atlantic Ocean, meaning it’s “bad for the skin”, which could lead to a potentially fatal infection, he said.

“So every minute counts,” added Mr Biertumpfel.

The whale, which weighs several tonnes, got entangled in nets, the conservationist said, adding that even though they had removed some of it, a biologist who entered the water to check the whale told them there was still some net in its mouth.

On Thursday, an underwater earth mover was used to try to dig a channel for the beast to escape, while police vessels, inflatable boats and drones have also been deployed, but, by Thursday afternoon, all attempts have been unsuccessful.

At one point, the animal, which is still alive, was turned so its head was pointing towards deeper water, as rescuers hoped it could find its own way back to sea, but it merely returned to its previous position.

Boats from the coastguard and the fire department passed by, creating large waves in the hope of freeing the animal – but also without success.

Rescuers are unwilling to try to pull the animal, which weighs several tons, out to deeper water for fear of injuring it, experts said.

Fences have been put up to keep a large crowd of onlookers off the beach to make sure the whale “does not become even more stressed”, police spokesperson Ulli Fritz Gerlach said.

Stefan Stauch, who had come with his wife from the nearby village of Scharbeutz after hearing the whale’s sounds during the night, said: “Poor thing. I hope he can still be saved.”

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NewsBeat

Premium UK chocolate company collapses into administration

Published

48 seconds ago

26 March 2026

NewsAdmin

Premium UK chocolate company collapses into administration

Marasu’s Petit Fours was founded back in 1986 by “master-patissiers” Rolf Kern and Gabi Kohler.

The aim of the business was to supply “London’s top hotels, restaurants and clubs with premium chocolates and petits fours”.

The company grew to become London’s largest producer of premium chocolates, with annual production of over 300 tonnes from its 25,000 sq foot facilities in Park Royal, according to business experts Odoo.

Marasu’s, which was acquired by Prestat Group Ltd in 2006, has provided chocolates to some big-name brands, including:

Selfridges
Harrods
Fortnum & Mason
Pret a Manger

Marasu’s Petit Fours at risk of closing as it enters administration

After 40 years, Marasu’s Petit Fours is now at risk of closing.

The premium chocolate company entered administration last month, according to Companies House, along with its parent company Prestat Ltd.

Alessandro Sidoli and Jessica Barker of Xeinadin Corporate Recovery Limited have been appointed joint administrators.

Marasu’s collapse follows a tough few years for chocolate manufacturers.

The Grocery Gazette explains: “Global cocoa prices surged to record highs in 2024 after disease and extreme weather hit crops in Ghana and Ivory Coast, which together account for around 60 per cent of global cocoa production.

“For premium chocolate manufacturers, sharply rising ingredient costs, combined with higher energy and operating expenses, have significantly squeezed margins even for established heritage brands.”

What happens when a company goes into administration?

Put simply, when a company enters administration, it means that it is unable to pay expenses, debts, or other liabilities, according to SquareUp.com.

Companies House adds: “When a company goes into administration, they have entered a legal process (under the Insolvency Act 1986) with the aim of achieving one of the statutory objectives of an administration. This may be to rescue a viable business that is insolvent due to cashflow problems.

“An appointment of an administrator (a licensed insolvency practitioner) will be made by directors, a creditor or the court to fulfil the administration process.”

A statutory moratorium is put in place once a company enters administration, giving it “breathing space” to allow for financial restructuring plans to be drawn up free from creditor enforcement actions.

A company can continue to trade while in administration, but daily management and control is handed over to the administrators.

Companies House continues: “Within 8 weeks it is the administrators’ role to formulate administration proposals.

“Creditors are then asked to vote by a decision procedure to approve the administrators’ proposals.

“If the administration involves a sale of all or part of the company’s business, the proceeds (after the costs of the procedure) will be distributed to creditors in a statutory order of priority.”

Administration will end automatically after 12 months unless the administrator asks the court or creditors for an extension.

Through administration, a company can be:

Rescued and passed back to the directors
Enter liquidation
Be dissolved

Other UK companies that have closed or entered administration/liquidation in 2026 (so far)

It has been a rough start to 2026 for the UK high street, with several retailers entering administration and others announcing widespread store closures.

Major high street retailers, including River Island, Primark, and Poundland, have already been forced to close stores in 2026, while Revolution and BrewDog have shut the doors to 21 and 38 pubs, respectively.

Several other retailers have fallen into administration recently, including:

Meanwhile, four UK travel companies have closed in the opening weeks of 2026:

EcoJet Airlines, billed as “the world’s first Electric Airline”, has also entered liquidation after just three years, resulting in the cancellation of all planned flights.

What has a nose, wings and runs off of hydrogen? Ecojet 😎 pic.twitter.com/y8QGiBdFe2
— ecotricity (@ecotricity) July 17, 2023

UK delivery company Yodel is set to be phased out over the coming months after being acquired by InPost.

Tesco also recently revealed plans to cut 380 jobs in stores across the UK, while it’s been reported that Morrisons is looking to sell some of its in-store pharmacies as it continues to cut costs.

It’s not been all bad news for the UK high street, with several major brands announcing new store openings for 2026, including Aldi, M&S, and Superdrug.

Have you tried Marasu’s Petit Fours chocolates before? Let us know in the poll above or in the comments below.

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