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130 years of the Kiel Canal: Modernization for the future!
The Kiel Canal celebrates 130 years of modernization while important infrastructure projects in Emden and Brunsbüttel advance.
130 years of the Kiel Canal: Modernization for the future!
On July 3, 2025, the Kiel Canal (NOK) will celebrate a remarkable anniversary: 130 years after its opening, the canal remains a central waterway that not only connects the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, but also brings important economic benefits. It creates a more significant advantage for the ships by avoiding the route via the Danish Skagen. About 30,000 ships pass through the canal, which is 98.26 kilometers long, annually, and 24,866 ships were registered in 2024, a decrease of 6.73% compared to the previous year. These figures are part of a long-term traffic forecast that expects stable to increasing usage figures for 2040, despite a decline in cargo volumes to almost 75.6 million tonnes in 2024.
The importance of the NOK is undisputed, especially in the context of climate change, as head of office Joachim Abratis from the Kiel Canal Waterways Construction Authority in Kiel emphasizes. Over the last 15 years, around one billion euros have been invested in the canal, with an additional two billion euros 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 alone are budgeted. This new lock is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2026 and will help reduce waiting times for ships, while increasing 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 being built. An additional agreement ensures the completion of this project by the end of 2026, while the total cost is around 1.2 billion euros. The eastern section of the canal is also being expanded, with attention to the widening between Großkönigsförde and Schinkel, which is budgeted at around 500 million euros in the federal budget. The construction of temporary transfer points shows that the work is already in full swing.
Other important projects include the replacement of the Levensau High Bridge near Kiel. Due to its almost 130 years of use, it has a remaining lifespan until 2024, and preparations for the new building are already underway as planned. Construction work on the Channel Tunnel and adjustments to traffic technology are also on the agenda.
Anniversary celebrations
To mark this special occasion, the city of Brunsbüttel will be hosting a canal birthday party. “We are proud of our canal and its history,” says Transport Minister Claus Ruhe Madsen, who underlines the need for ongoing modernization. Amid these developments, the NOK remains not only one of the busiest man-made waterways in the world, but also an important player in shipping, connecting companies and regions.
The canal, which 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 in meeting the high standards of shipping and maintaining the importance of the NOK for Schleswig-Holstein and beyond.
For anyone interested in maritime affairs, the Kiel Canal remains an exciting topic whose further development and history still has a lot to tell.