Waterways and shipping in Germany

The Federal waterway network in Germany comprises about 7,300 kilometres of inland waterways, of which roughly 75 percent are rivers and 25 percent canals and some 23,000 square kilometres maritime waterways. The facilities along the Federal waterways include about 450 lock chambers, 290 weirs, 4 shiplifts, 15 canal bridges and 2 dams. The main network with a length of approximately 5,100 kilometres includes the Rhine (with its tributaries Neckar, Main, Mosel, and Saar), the Danube, the Weser, and the Elbe as well as the grid of canals linking these major rivers plus the Oder. These waterways form an essential component of the Trans-European Transport Network. There are more than 100 modern public sea and inland ports. 56 of the 74 metropolitan areas in Germany are linked via waterways. Up to 240 million tonnes of bulk goods are transported per year via the German Federal inland waterways, which amounts to between 60 and 65 billion tonne-kilometres. In 2009, the German North Sea and Baltic Sea ports handled around 270 million tonnes of cargo.

In addition to providing a habitat for aquatic flora and fauna, the Federal waterways are valued highly as sites of rest and recreation for the population. With an interconnecting network of nearly 10,000 kilometres of Federal and state inland waterways, Germany is an attractive region for watersports in the heart of Europe.

 

Waterways and shipping Administration of the federal Government

The Federal Government is the owner of the Federal waterways. They are administered by the Waterways and Shipping Administration of the Federal Government (WSV) . About 13,000 persons are employed in 7 Waterways and Shipping Directorates, 39 Waterways and Shipping Offices and 7 Offices for New Construction.

Main Tasks of the WSV

• As the river and shipping police the Administration ensures that the condition of the waterways is in line with the requirements of shipping and that no risks for humans and the environment emanate from navigation or other uses of the waterways.
• The WSV is responsible for the operation, maintenance, modernisation and new construction of Federal waterways and their structures.
• The WSV maintains and operates, for the purpose of channel marking, at and in the maritime waterways approximately 1,600 fixed shipping signs (such as lighthouses and beacons as well as approximately 4,000 floating shipping signs (so-called buoys).
• The WSV maintains and operates the vessel traffic service centres at the maritime waterways and the traffic control centres at the inland waterways.
• The WSV maintains and operates the globally most technically advanced and efficient fleet of oil spill recovery ships.