Work on the damaged Müden lock on the Moselle is continuing according to schedule. After emergency lockages ended just a week ago, the lock chamber was dried up, said Ulrich Zwinge of the Waterways and Shipping Office (WSA) Moselle-Saar-Lahn. A scaffold will now be erected in the room in order to be able to renovate the damaged parts of the concrete.
Assembling the scaffolding will take a few days, Ulrich Zwinge estimated. Then, the damaged parts of the concrete will have to be removed using high pressure water jets. The application and hardening of the new concrete then requires higher temperatures: this is why the scaffolding will be closed with a tarpaulin to the outside. Radiators will also be installed.
An employee of the Water and Shipping Office is preparing the last temporary emergency lock on an overhaul valve at the Müden lock. © PHOTO: Thomas Frey/dpa
The schedule of the latest works
The Müden lock was seriously damaged during the collision of a freight ship on December 8, 2024. Since then, navigation on the Moselle has been paralyzed. Until December 27, costly emergency lockages were carried out on a total of more than 70 boats stranded since the accident, so that they could leave the Moselle in the direction of the Rhine.
A new lock gate is to be loaded onto a ship on January 17 by a shipyard in Trier and brought to Müden, according to Ulrich Zwinge. Installation of the new door is planned from January 25. After tests, the lock should be returned to regular service on February 1.
The Belgian motorboat Tunica enters the lock chamber for what is expected to be the last emergency locking of the damaged Moselle lock. © PHOTO: Marcus Führer/dpa
This is significantly earlier than expected: previously, experts had estimated that the rehabilitation work on the lock could last until the end of March 2025. This had sparked strong criticism from companies that depend on the waterway international that is the Moselle.
An influence on the Luxembourg economy
The lock accident also had an impact on the Luxembourg economy. Thus, in mid-December, the economic committee examined the requests for partial unemployment for the month of January 2025. 84 companies in total had submitted a request for partial unemployment in order to be able to benefit from this measure for the month in question.
After examining the files submitted, the economic committee ruled favorably on 74 requests. Among these requests, 54 are cyclical, eight are structural, that is to say linked to a job protection plan, nine are justified by economic dependence and three are linked to a case of force majeure, here said accident at the Müden lock.
This article was originally published on the website of Luxembourg word.
Adaptation: Antony Speciale
