The Netherlands-headquartered vessel operator Wagenborg has handled three lock gates from Emden, Germany, for a new lock complex in Brunsbüttel, Germany.
Each weighing over 2,500 tonnes each and measuring 47 m x 9 m x 21 m, the three gates were placed on 136 axle lines of SPMT. Wagenborg will ship the lock doors by pontoon over the course of the year.
“The biggest challenge was to engineer the route from the manufacturing hall to the quay. It is always a thrill to see that plans work in reality, especially when the challenge is this big,” said Wouter Siemerink, project manager at Wagenborg.
Now stored near the waterfront, the lock gates will be worked on until completion by the manufacturer in the coming months.
“The intention is for the lock gates to leave Emden by pontoon in the summer. For this we are now working out all kinds of calculations on how we can safely drive the heavy lock gates onto the pontoon with SPMTs,” added Siemerink.
The project in Brunsbüttel includes the construction of a 360-m-long sea lock between the Elbe River and the Kiel Canal, along with the modification of the entrance to the outer harbour on the Elbe side. Reformation of the lock complex, which is 100 years old and sees around 120 ships pass through every day, will allow for smoother passage of shipping along the canal.
In October 2024, HLPFI reported that Wagenborg had installed a ballast water treatment system (BWTS) across its whole fleet of general cargo vessels.
