Schleusenmeister Axel Ortmann: Live between the North and Baltic Sea!

Schleusenmeister Axel Ortmann: Live between the North and Baltic Sea!

on the North Ostsee Canal (NOK), which is considered the most used artificial naval shipping street in the world, Axel Ortmann plays a central role. The experienced lock champion in Kiel-Holtenau has been working since April 2014. His main task is to coordinate the traffic of the ships that want to pass the lock. Decision findings often have to be made at short notice and under time pressure, sometimes within less than half an hour. Ortmann's workplace, a red brick house on the top glass floor, offers him an impressive view of the canal and the Baltic Sea.

The NOK extends over a length of 98.26 km and connects the North Sea with the Baltic Sea, which enables around 30,000 ships to pass through every year. This waterway significantly reduces the route - about 250 nautical miles compared to the bypass of the Kimbrian Peninsula. Ortmann has had a long maritime career behind him that started in his childhood when he started sailing and later attended the Seemanns School in the Netherlands. His versatile experience includes positions on shipyards and at sea, where he worked under difficult conditions. In his free time he enjoys spending time in nature, be it in the forest or on the water.

challenges and innovations in lock management

The use of the NOK not only brings advantages, such as reduced travel times and fuel needs, but also challenges. Again and again the lock champions are faced with new traffic flows and a lack of database for long -term planning. For this reason, a project was initiated that aims at lock management. Under the direction of DBH Logistics IT AG, a system is developed that combines data such as weather, climate and navigation information in order to enable more precise forecasts via waiting and handling times. The integration of the experience knowledge of the lock staff is intended to improve efficiency and management in the long term.

The project, which is carried out from 04/2020 to 03/2023, requires a volume of 2,109,762 euros, of which 73 % are funded by the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport. Cooperation partners include the Fraunhofer Society and TTS Trimode Transport Solutions GmbH. Under the direction of Karin Steffen-Witt in Lübeck, the theoretical foundations for future-oriented lock management are laid.

The NOK: A historical dimension

The NOK played a significant historical and strategic role, especially during the world wars. With the laying of the foundation stone in 1887 and the opening in 1895, when the first small double locks in Brunsbüttel and Holtenau went into operation, the canal became crucial for shipping in the region. In 1948 he was renamed the North Ostsee Canal. Current expansion projects, including the completion of a fifth lock chamber in Brunsbüttel until 2026, aim to further improve the infrastructure and optimize the traffic flows.

Today, the NOK not only forms an important waterway, but also part of the German ferry street, which includes cycling and footpaths along the channel. With a water level that is regulated by locks at both ends of the channel, the NOK remains an indispensable element of maritime logistics in Germany.