Following the ship accident in November 2023, in which an intoxicated helmswoman hit the lock gate of the right chamber in Iffezheim without braking, total damage amounted to around five million euros. The ship "La Primavera" had already severely damaged the gate a year earlierwhich blocked the right-hand chamber.
After lengthy repair work, a new lock gate has now been delivered. The 82-tonne gate was brought by ship from Papenburg to Iffezheim and successfully put into position. It cost around 3 million euros and was part of a project that will cost a total of five million euros.
Iffezheim lock is one of the largest and most efficient double locks in Europe
As a result of the accident, the helmswoman was given a five-month suspended prison sentence. The Iffezheim lock is one of the largest and most efficient double locks in Europe and handles an average of 25,000 inland waterway vessels with 20 million tonnes of goods per year. According to the Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV), the gateway to the Upper Rhine regulated by dams has two lock chambers, each 24 metres wide and 270 metres long.
The repair work is currently in full swing. The old drive chains are being removed and replaced with new ones to make the lock gate fully functional again. In addition, the concrete walls and floor of the lock chamber are being checked for damage after the water has been drained.
The repair work is scheduled to be completed in November. "Full commissioning of the right-hand chamber of the Iffezheim lock is expected to take place in mid-January 2025 after successful trial operation," the WSV announced on Wednesday.
