50 years of shipping on the Moselle

(CS/mas) In 1964 the Moselle river was opened for large-vessel shipping following years of river engineering, including the canalisation of the Moselle and the construction of several locks.

The agreement to use the Moselle for large-vessel shipping was struck between Luxembourg, Germany and France on October 27, 1956.

Two years later, work on the canalisation of the river began. Drillships, diggers and dynamite were used to deepen the riverbed and constrain the Moselle's course, with locks constructed in Grevenmacher and Stadtbredimus. By 1962, the Moselle had already changed significantly.

Construction work came to a near-halt at the start of 1963, however, when sub-zero temperatures caused the river to freeze over. Following the cold spell, engineering work swiftly continued and on January 23, 1964, the new waterway was unofficially opened.

An official ceremony followed several months later, on May 26. Among the guests of honour were Luxembourg's Grand Duchess Charlotte, French President Charles de Gaulle and German President Heinrick Lübke.