Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamt
A Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamt (WSA - Waterways and Shipping Office) is a regional German agency responsible for the administration of federal navigable waters and for the regulation of vessel traffic. The thirty-nine offices are supervised by the national Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes (WSV - Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration) and accountable to the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. In total the offices cover 23,000 km² of maritime waters and 7,350 km of inland waterways.[1][2]
Each WSA has a defined geographical coverage. For example, WSA Lauenburg covers a section of the River Elbe together with tributaries and the Elbe-Lübeck Canal;[3] WSA Cuxhaven covers the lower Elbe and an extensive sea area.[4]
Icebreaking fleet
The Administration operates a fleet of about a dozen icebreakers. The newest, the Keiler, was delivered in December 2011.[5][6] Their oldest existing icebreaker, the Steinbock, was commissioned in 1935. The Keiler, and another new vessel, the Kietz,[7] are 33.21 metres (109.0 ft) long and 8.45 metres (27.7 ft) wide, with a draft of 1.4 metres (4.6 ft). They are diesel powered, with engines that produce 1,100 horsepower (820 kW). They cost 5 million Euros each. Other vessels include the Widder, Stier and the Wisent.[7]
See also
References
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