RENOVATION of the Mittelland Canal, the longest in Germany at 325 kilometres, has been completed, linking east and west Germany but also canal systems as far away as France.
Work on the 80-kilometre Eastern Sector (Osthaltung) started in 1993, as part of the 17 German Unity transport projects begun after German re-unification in 1990.
The Mittelland Osthaltung renovation has covered work on the stretch between the Sulfeld Lock near Wolfsburg, home of Volkswagen, and the locks at Magdeburg on the Elbe to Hamburg.
The renovated stretch links the Elbe and Berlin further east with the Dortmund-Ems Canal in the industrial Ruhr to the west. Vessels of 2,000 tonnes as well as 185-metre long barge convoys carrying 3,500 tonnes can now reach Magdeburg.
This gives Greater Magdeburg and Berlin a high-performance, safe and eco-friendly waterway link and improved canal access to North Sea and Rhine ports and western industrial hubs.
The Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV) in Bonn told the UK's Maritime Journal that the work had cost the German Government EUR800 million (US$936.4 million). It also said the renovated stretch was now able to handle 33.2 million tonnes of cargo a year.
One barge convoy alone, officials said, replaces an 8.5 kilometre long truck convoy. Increased bridge heights in particular also mean that two-stack container ships can now use the canal.
Work on the 80-kilometre Eastern Sector (Osthaltung) started in 1993, as part of the 17 German Unity transport projects begun after German re-unification in 1990.
The Mittelland Osthaltung renovation has covered work on the stretch between the Sulfeld Lock near Wolfsburg, home of Volkswagen, and the locks at Magdeburg on the Elbe to Hamburg.
The renovated stretch links the Elbe and Berlin further east with the Dortmund-Ems Canal in the industrial Ruhr to the west. Vessels of 2,000 tonnes as well as 185-metre long barge convoys carrying 3,500 tonnes can now reach Magdeburg.
This gives Greater Magdeburg and Berlin a high-performance, safe and eco-friendly waterway link and improved canal access to North Sea and Rhine ports and western industrial hubs.
The Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV) in Bonn told the UK's Maritime Journal that the work had cost the German Government EUR800 million (US$936.4 million). It also said the renovated stretch was now able to handle 33.2 million tonnes of cargo a year.
One barge convoy alone, officials said, replaces an 8.5 kilometre long truck convoy. Increased bridge heights in particular also mean that two-stack container ships can now use the canal.