It was a day to remember in Cuxhaven when Germany’s federal minister of transport and digital infrastructure, Alexander Dobrindt, officially opened the new building housing Germany’s Maritime Safety and Security Centre (MSSC). Dobrindt arrived in style by helicopter direct from Berlin.

The four-storey, 1,500-square-metre edifice was designed by Stuttgart-based architects MGF to complement the urban fabric of Cuxhaven harbour and is highly energy efficient.

Dobrindt’s