The regional traffic figures recorded by the Uelzen Waterways and Shipping Authority at the downstream structures on the Elbe Lateral Canal and in the eastern section of the Mittelland Canal were higher than ever before in 2013. At the Sülfeld lock in Wolfsburg on the Mittelland Canal, more than ten million tonnes of goods were transported in one year for the first time. Since 2008, the newly constructed south chamber has enabled modern inland waterway vessels to travel unrestricted in terms of height and unloading depth. The nine-million-tonne mark was exceeded for the first time at the drop-off structures on the Elbe Lateral Canal in Lüneburg and Uelzen.
Growth in agricultural products and containers
Agricultural products dominated the eastern Mittelland Canal last year, with almost three million tonnes of cargo. This is also where the largest increases were recorded. The transport of containers also developed very positively in Haldensleben and the Wolfsburg freight village, which went into operation in late summer. At the end of the year, the number of "boxes" transported at the Sülfeld lock was up 26% on the previous year.
Coal and oil products are the predominant types of goods on the Elbe Lateral Canal. Inland vessels supply the hinterland from the port of Hamburg. Agricultural products are also the big winners on the Elbe Lateral Canal, with an increase of over 50%.
Floods, strike but no ice
At the beginning of June, the Elbe Lateral Canal was impassable for ten days due to flooding on the Elbe. Strike action by employees of the Waterways and Shipping Administration also led to partial restrictions in the summer. Transport figures increased significantly in the second half of the year. Due to the persistently mild temperatures, shipping was also able to benefit from the ice-free conditions until the end of the year. "If this winter remains ice-free, 2014 could also be a very good transport year," says Kai Römer, the responsible department head at the Uelzen Waterways and Shipping Authority.
