Rental Pumps In Action At The Kaiserschleuse Lock In Bremerhaven, Germany

The lock “Kaiserschleuse” connects the Weser river with the part of the international port in Bremerhaven that is independent of the tides. Much of the German automobile trade passes through this lock and two shipyards are located behind it. It was built in 1892-96 and was the largest lock worldwide, 223.2 m long and 28 m wide, at the time. Since then, the lock has been extended to 305 m and widened to 55 m. Each of the three floodgates weighs 2’200 tons (57 m long, 23 m high, 9 m wide). The extended Kaiserschleuse is now as wide as the new locks of the Panama Canal, and was completed in 2016.

During an inspection of the installation in October 2014, massive damage was discovered on the undercarriage rails of the floodgates and their mountings. Strong deformation of the railheads over the complete length of the rails and some break-outs of concrete from the rail anchorage were stated. The repair costs were estimated to be 2-3 MEUR.

The entire working area is normally under water. Therefore, the contractor, Bremenports, needed a reliable pump supplier and service provider with extensive expertise in project planning and implementation, and one that had direct access to sufficient and appropriate pumping equipment.