Structural inspection of the old ship lift at Niederfinow is completed
As part of its duty to ensure transportation safety, the water and navigation authority bears responsibility for structures on the federal waterways. This task includes regular structural inspections, as in the case of the old ship lift at Niederfinow.
As part of its duty to ensure transportation safety, the water and navigation authority bears responsibility for structures on the federal waterways. This task includes regular structural inspections, as in the case of the old ship lift at Niederfinow.
Not just the age of the structure – it was put into operation on 21st March 1934 – but also its size and the accessibility of the lift and its secondary structures represented a challenge for us as we prepared for and carried out the inspection task.
In addition to divers who assessed the condition of underwater components, for instance in the upper and lower pounds, a 46 m telescopic working platform was used. The fact that our structural inspectors are qualified to work at heights greatly increased the degree of freedom of the inspection routes. It was possible to carry out the assessment in many places without using further cost-intensive inspection devices.
The operational procedures of the ship lift were also used, so that it was possible to inspect the canal bridge when it was empty.
Now the inspection has been completed and the results are available, documented in the WSV Pruf program!
