€233m lock opens in Bremerhaven

The 305m long and 55m wide lock, which also serves as part of the local flood defence system, took four years to build and was the biggest project of its kind in Europe. It replaces a 185m long and 28m wide lock built in 1897 and eases pressure on Bremerhaven’s only other main ship lock, the 80 year old Nordschleuse.

The Kaiserschleuse was built to secure Bremerhaven’s position as a leading vehicle handling port and officials described it as “a guarantee for the future of the port”. Recession pushed handling to 1.58m vehicles last year, but it is soon expected to pass the 2007 level of more than 2m.

The old lock was unable to cope with modern car carriers of up to 240m length serving inner port car terminals operated by BLG Logistics, but the new lock can handle ships up to 270m long and drawing 10m. The first ship to pass through it was Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s 230m long car carrier Fidelio.

Another benefit of the new lock is expected to be easier access for big ships seeking repair at nearby local shipyards like Lloyd Werft, MWB and Rickmers Lloyd. All now hope for more work on container ships from the nearby Container Terminal.

The Kaiserschleuse was built by a consortium grouping Hochtief Construction, August Prien and Strabag with Bremenport’s engineers overseeing the project. Originally due to open in 2010, construction was delayed by two severe winters.

Bremenports spokesman Rüdiger Staats told MJ three lock gates had been built, one an emergency spare. The €10m, 55m wide and 22m high gates each weigh 2,200 tons and boast 12 ballast cells. They were built by the Crist Shipyard in Poland.

By Tom Todd