Operating the Harbour Gate
Our guests shall moore at the holding position on the north bank of the Mittelland canal before entering the harbour. The gate shall prevent the entry of dispersed sludge into the harbour by commercial vessels. Please wait for a longer gap between moving cargo ships before you open the gate. Walking on the gate prohibited.
Holding postion on the north bank. On right top the switch.
The port gate is operated by an electric drive. Opening is triggered by a single push of a button. On the channel's side the button is located at the upper right edge of the billboard at the holding postion. Inside the harbour the switch is connected to red cord which you can reach easily from your boat.
Traffic lights: RED = locked, GREEN = open
The current position of the gate is indicated by a traffic signal. A RED signal indicates that passing of the gate is prohibited. After complete opening of the gate the light signal turns to GREEN. Passing the gate is allowed as long as the light shows GREEN.
Sensors
The safe passage through the open gate is secured by photocell sensors. One sensor is located on the canal side of the gate and another sensor is located on the harbour side behind the gate. When the gate is fully opened the sensor signals are ignored. A passing boat during gate closure will trigger an instant stop and a full re-opening of the gate.
Manually closure
When the gate is full opened position, a 3 second long push of the button will close the gate. During the closing phase the light signal is automatically switched to RED.
Automatic closure
FIVE minutes after the complete opening of the gate, or FIVE minutes after the last interrupt of one the two sensors, the light signal is switched to flashing RED (frequency 1 Hz). One minute later the automatic closure is started and the traffic light shows RED.
Compliance with commercial traffic
The port gate shall prevent the entry of dispersed sludge of commercial shipping while passing the harbor entrance. To ensure the intended function you should comply with the traffic situation in the vicinity of the harbor. As long as freight vessels or pushed convoys are nearby the harbor entrance, please do not open the gate. Before leaving the harbour, please observe both sides of the canal via mirrors located on the left and right side of the gate. If there is no commercial traffic passing, you can push the button to open the gate.
Mirrors for the vision
Here you see traffic mirrors to observe both sides of the Mittelland canal.
