Kiel Canal
The Kiel Canal, its lock dimensions, the interpolated length-beam-draught envelope, and the 250 nautical miles it saves against the route around Denmark.
The Kiel Canal is a 98.6 km lock canal across the base of the Jutland peninsula, joining the North Sea to the Baltic and saving ships around 460 km, about 250 nautical miles, against the route around the Danish coast. On a Hamburg to Stockholm or Riga voyage the saving is 336 nautical miles and about 16 hours.
Its size limit is an envelope rather than a single figure. The waterway authority permits either 235 m length with 32.5 m beam and 7.0 m draught, or 193 m length with 20 m beam and 9.5 m draught, or 160 m length with 27 m beam and 9.5 m draught, with intermediate combinations interpolated: a 175 m ship at 9.5 m draught may be at most 24 m in beam. The Large Locks at Brunsbuettel and Kiel-Holtenau have a usable 310 m by 42 m and the Small Locks 125 m by 22 m.
The full article will cover the locks and their history, the traffic-group system that governs transit cost, the pilotage and speed rules, and the canal’s international legal status.