Costs soar on delayed Emden lock project

摘要

Technical and legal complications have further delayed completion of the long-planned renovation of the port of Emden's Nesserlander Lock until 2017 and also "significantly" increased the estimated cost of the project. Built in the 1880s and originally 14m wide and 110m long, the lock links the busy north German port with the Dollart Hafen on the Ems Estuary and with the North Sea on the border with Holland. The Nesserlander Lock has undergone various renovations over the years, notably in the early 1960s and 1980s but was closed down in late 2006 for renovation after severe flooding in the area. Since then, ship traffic between Emden and the sea has used another lock, the Grosse Seeschleuse, which is now also in need of renovation.