Special Dredging Permit

The Danube Canal's shores had been heavily washed out at the confluence of the Wien River. The heavy load vessel Horst Felix was used for the rehabilitation in early March. In the process, the self-propelled barge, together with a GPS-controlled excavator, could play its strengths in hydraulic engineering to the fullest.

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"Being more than ten metres wide, the Horst Felix would actually not have been allowed to sail into the Danube Canal", Hans Wolfsteiner of Felbermayr's hydraulic engineering department stated.  Due to the reason that the vessel had the ideal characteristics for the 80-ton excavator used for the rehabilitation of the shore, a special permit was obtained from the highest shipping authority. "We were lucky that the vessel, being more than 10 metres wide, just about fit into the Danube Canal", Wolfsteiner explains.

In total, some 2,000 armour stones were used for the rehabilitation of the shore. In order to perform the task with the requested accuracy, a GPS-controlled excavator was used. "Using this technology, one can lay stones with an accuracy of some 20 centimetres under water", Wolfsteiner explains further.

The rehabilitation measures became necessary due to heavy swell caused by the confluence of the Wien River into the Danube Canal. According to the competent municipal department however, the ship reversing area also contributed significantly to the shores being washed out.