Locks over the Divide

On our first day of the cruise, the afternoon was spent going over a divide. The Main-Danube canal allows cruise boats and goods to connect from central Germany to the Black Sea. Another canal from the Main to the Rhine completes the connection to the Atlantic Ocean in the Netherlands.

First, some facts about the ship. Brian visited the wheelhouse and learned about the ship AmaCerto from Vlad, one of two captains who work in 6-hour shifts. The ship is specifically designed to fit into the locks, with 11 cm clearance on each side. The bottom of the ship is flat, and the propulsion is via two 1200-hp Diesel engines each operating a set of counter-rotating propellers that can move 360°. There is also a bow engine for maneuvering into docks and locks. The ship must be able to handle clearance below and above. Some stretches of the Danube have obstacles less than 1 m depth. On the canal and upstream from Passau, Germany, many bridges pose a low clearance hazard. The ship deals with these issues by changing its draft and by lowering upper deck objects such as sun shades, radar and the wheelhouse. Yes, the whole wheelhouse can be lowered into the upper deck by about 2 m. To change the draft of the ship, river water is used as ballast, pumped in to holding tanks to lower the draft by up to 2 m or expelled to raise the ship to clear obstacles less than 0.5 m below the surface! The ship also treats its gray water in order to discharge it into the river, following strict regulations.

The Main-Danube canal crosses a continental divide about 20 km from Nuremberg. Huge locks raise the ship in steps to a height of 406 m (Nuremberg is at an elevation of 302 m). The current locks were built in the late 20th century and modernized in the early 21st century. Although not completely automated, there are no personnel at the locks. Large reservoirs adjacent to the canal provide water to fill the locks as necessary.