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from Hamburg to Salzgitter,” laments Al- exander Heck, Director of Public & Regu- latory Affairs at Salzgitter AG. Larger vessels are therefore unable to reach Salzgitter by way of the Elbe Lateral Ca- nal. Work to construct a replacement is set to begin in 2024 at the earliest.
“The Wedtlenstedt and Üfingen locks in the branch canal also need to be re- moved,” says Dr. Johannes Dreier. “The fairway is also not wide enough.” A proj- ect to upgrade the route was approved and planned years ago. However, the original completion date of 2028 now ap- pears in doubt. Alexander Heck is un- equivocal: “The upgrades approved years ago by the Federal Transport Ministry and the modernization of its efficient lifts and locks are absolutely fundamen- tal to the use of inland shipping as an en- vironmentally friendly and economically advantageous mode of transport.”
Political and business discussions revolving around upgrades to the Salzgitter branch canal stretch back as far as 2014. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs at the time, Sigmar Gabriel (right), is shown here during a site visit with Kurt Fromme (center) and Alexander Heck (left), Salzgitter AG
SALZGITTER STORIES
A view of the Salzgitter branch canal, which ends at the Salzgitter Flachstahl integrated steelworks. In the top left is the port in Beddingen, along with its tank storage facilities and silos
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Photos: adobestock©Sandor Kotyrba, Peter Lenke, Peter Sierigk