130 years of North Ostsee Canal: Modernization for the future!

130 years of North Ostsee Canal: Modernization for the future!

Emden, Deutschland - On July 3, 2025, the North Ostsee Canal (NOK) celebrates a remarkable anniversary: ​​130 years after its opening, the channel is still a central waterway that not only combines the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, but also brings important economic benefits. It creates a significant advantage for the ships by handling the way across the Danish skating. Every year around 30,000 ships pass the channel, which is 98.26 kilometers long, and in 2024 24,866 ships were registered, which corresponds to a decline of 6.73 % compared to the previous year. These figures are part of a long -term traffic forecast that expects stable to rising usage figures for 2040, despite a decline in the load on almost 75.6 million tons in 2024.

The meaning of the NOK is undisputed, especially in the context of climate change, as Head of Officer Joachim Abratis from the North Ostsee Canal Water Straße-Neubauamt emphasized in Kiel. Around one billion euros have been invested in the channel in the past 15 years, and another two billion euros have been planned for future modernizations. A central point of these investments is the new construction of the fifth lock chamber in Brunsbüttel, for which 1.2 billion euros are estimated. This new lock should go into operation by the end of 2026 and will help shorten the waiting times for ships, which at the same time increases the efficiency of the entire transport system.

extensive modernization projects

The modernization of the NOK includes numerous projects that are already being planned. This includes, for example, the lock system in Brunsbüttel, in which a fifth chamber is built. An additional agreement secures the completion of this project by the end of 2026, while the total costs are around 1.2 billion euros. The east route of the canal is also being expanded, with a focus on widening between the Großkönigsförde and Schinkel, which is estimated in the federal budget with around 500 million euros. The structure of temporary handling points shows that the work is already in full.

Other essential projects include the replacement of the Levensauer Hochbrücke near Kiel. Due to its almost 130 years of use, this has a residual life until 2024, and preparations for the new building are already under schedule. In addition, the construction work on the sewer tunnel and the adjustments of traffic technology are on the agenda.

celebrations for the anniversary

The city of Brunsbüttel will host a channel birthday on this special occasion. "We are proud of our channel and its history," says Transport Minister Claus Ruhe Madsen, who underlines the need for the ongoing modernizations. In the middle of these developments, the NOK not only remains one of the most used artificial waterways in the world, but also an important player in shipping that connects companies and regions.

The channel, which was opened in 1895 and has been continuously expanded and modernized since then, has established itself as an indispensable part of the regional and national infrastructure. The next few years will be crucial to meet the high standards of shipping and to maintain the importance of the NOK for Schleswig-Holstein and beyond.

for all interested parties in maritime matters, the North Ostsee Canal remains an exciting topic, the further development and history of which has a lot to tell.