Submerged beneath the water's surface now
The Kiel Canal, one of Europe's busiest waterways, is currently undergoing an extensive expansion project. This expansion, which is expected to be completed by the end of the decade, will not only deepen the canal but also widen its bed.
The first phase of the project involves dredging a four-kilometer section of the canal to a depth of four meters. This phase is estimated to cost approximately 120 million euros. The subsequent phase will see the depth increased to eleven meters, with the total cost for the entire expansion project estimated to be 500 million euros.
The dredging work is being carried out by the green cutter suction dredger "Peter the Great", a vessel from Deme, a Belgian company. In total, 2.5 million cubic meters of soil needs to be removed during the expansion. Around 1.1 million cubic meters of the dredged material will be transported to the Baltic Sea.
The expansion is not limited to depth increase; the canal bed will also be widened from its current 44 meters to 70 meters. This will provide larger vessels with more room to navigate through the canal, boosting its economic importance.
While specific details about the timeline, cost, and excavation volume for the entire expansion are not yet available from Frank Behling's articles in Kieler Nachrichten or official project documentation, it is known that further phases of the expansion are scheduled to cost another 380 million euros.
The Kiel Canal expansion at Schinkel is progressing rapidly, and with the "Peter the Great" leading the way, it seems the project is on track to meet its deadline. For precise figures on the timeline, cost, and excavation volume, it is advisable to consult Frank Behling's original articles or official project releases from the canal authority or local government sources in Kiel.
The expansion project of the Kiel Canal, encompassing industry sectors like finance, technology, and energy, aims to further widen the canal's bed from 44 meters to 70 meters, attracting larger ships and augmenting the canal's economic impetus. The initial phase of the project includes dredging a four-kilometer section and involves the participation of technology companies such as Deme, which utilizes the green cutter suction dredger "Peter the Great" for this operation.
