Kanada - Die Eisbergjäger von Neufundland

Huge icebergs pass the coast of Newfoundland in spring. From Greenland, they drift south along the so-called "Iceberg Strait". Dangerous colossi for ships and oil platforms. Some of the inhabitants of Newfoundland have developed a business model from this natural spectacle: they tow the smaller icebergs into the harbor and melt them to make the purest drinking water available. The Titanic was their most famous victim. When she rammed an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland and sank in 1912, the small island first came into the public eye. At that time, a reconnaissance squadron was established to warn ships and now oil rigs of impending danger. But people also recognized the benefits of the cold colossi: they fish them off and process them into drinking water. The purest drinking water in the world. 360° - GEO Reportage accompanied one of the few iceberg hunters still working. Ed Kean is unhappy. His old boat worries him; it keeps failing to do its job. And yet he is dependent on the cutter, especially now in spring. Because now Ed does his main business. He searches for smaller icebergs that drift off the coast of Newfoundland, catches them and virtually mines them. He sells the meltwater that results from them to beer and vodka producers, who boast that they produce the purest products of their kind. Ed is one of the last of his guild. Yet iceberg hunting was a lucrative and promising business when cod fishing, until then the main source of income for many Newfoundlanders, came to a halt in the 1990s. Today, Ed is one of the few who continue to pursue the trade. He has no successor. The trade is too laborious and unpredictable. Only his cousin is interested in the business. And the business is still successful. Beer and vodka made from ice water enjoy great popularity, are export hits and are drunk all over the island. How the supply is to be secured in the long term is questionable. This year, Ed is ready, at any rate. At least as long as his boat keeps up.