In late 2009, the refit began of six chambers at three large locks along the Juliana Canal, near the villages of Born, Heel and Maasbracht in the Netherlands.

The oldest lock in Born was built in 1930. The lock chamber was emptied during restoration which included replacing 200 sets of original iron rails, repairs to the concrete walls, fitting 158 new safety ladders and other remedial work. The lock reopened for shipping in December 2009.

Each lock chamber was extended to 225 metres, allowing access for vessels up to 190m long, 11.4 beam and 3.5m draft. QuayQuip-Eurotech provided 200 rail-mounted floating bollards. These ‘mooring travellers’ replace the original 1960s units and adopt the latest materials, production techniques and corrosion coatings.

Floating bollards rise and fall with the water in the lock. Ship crew can easily moor their vessels as the bollard head is presented at a convenient and safe level. They no longer have to adjust mooring ropes as locks are negotiated.

These systems are ideal for locations with large changes in water level. Another recent QuayQuip project included floating bollards for the new RRRP facility on the Thames at Belvedere near London, where tides exceed 6 metres.

Tags: Bollards, canal locks, juliana canal, Mooring Travellers, netherlands, safety ladders, Waterways | Category Bollards, Installations, Structures, Waterways