Mecklenburg Lake District: External personnel secured lock operation

The waters of the Müritz-Havel Waterway and the Upper Havel Waterway are the most popular inland area in Germany. And also the busiest due to the numerous charter boats. Especially at the locks, there are always waiting times in the high season.

This year, however, the continuous operation of the locks was already on the brink of collapse before the start of the season - the lock staff were too thin. Only one emergency measure was able to prevent longer waiting times or even closed lock gates: The use of external helpers.

22 assistants on duty at the locks

From mid-June to the end of August, the six locks at Strasen, Canow, Diemitz and Mirow on the Müritz-Havel waterway and the Steinhavel and Wesenberg locks on the Upper Havel were operated jointly. This was carried out by existing WSV personnel and 22 external lock assistants. Once they had been trained, the locks could be operated daily in three shifts from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. until the end of the season on 31 August.

The basis for this was the constructive cooperation with a regional tourist company and the involvement of external lock personnel," says Eric Oehlmann, Head of the Directorate-General for Waterways and Shipping (GDWS).

However, the regular staff remained in charge at the locks. The prerequisite for the operation was the clear separation between the operation of the lock technology and the general course of operations on the one hand and the sovereign tasks on the other - for example, direct instructions to the individual boat crews. These are "shipping police orders" - for which only the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration is responsible.

Eric Oehlmann emphasised: "We have to fulfil our tasks in the best possible way. Where our own staff are not sufficient, we have to find new ways. I am delighted with the success of this project, as it gives us flexibility."

External support is also expected at the locks in the coming seasons, with the exception of Steinhavel. From the coming season, it will be operated remotely and connected to the control centre in Niederfinow, making on-site operation unnecessary.