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Traffic regulations on the inland waterways apart from the Rhine, Moselle and Danube
As at: 1 January 2006
-Leaflet for people engaging in watersports-
Since 15 October 1998, new traffic regulations have been in force for both commercial shipping and also for recreational craft on the inland waterways, apart from the Rhine, Moselle and Danube. In addition to the common requirements for all inland waterways the Traffic Regulations for Inland Waterways contain additional requirements which take into account the special features of individual waterways. Amongst others the regulations concerning the operation of recreational craft on the inland waterways in Berlin and Brandenburg are also replaced.
Particular reference is to be made to the following: Recreational craft must give way to starboard in a timely manner to vehicles that display a blue flashing light if they encounter them, cross their paths, or pass them.
In weather with poor visibility recreational craft must strictly use radar and may only travel if they are fitted with a radiotelephone for the ship-to-ship service category and are switched to receive channel 10 or another channel assigned by the competent authority. They must give to the other vehicles the information necessary for safety of passage. The obligation to use radar does not apply to just a few inland waterways.
On individual inland waterways special requirements apply to small vessels and recreational craft
Night-time travel prohibition
On the following lakes and lake-like expanses of water:
- Kleiner Müggelsee,
- Die Bänke,
- Große Krampe,
- Kalksee,
- Zernsdorfer Lanke,
- Scharfe Lanke
- Sacrower Lanke,
- Petziensee
- Glindowsee
- Lehnitzsee
- Krampnitzsee,
- Tegeler See,
- the north part of the Nieder Neuendorfer See from kilometre 10.00 and
- the Werbellinsee,
recreational craft may not travel with internal combustion engines in operation during the time between 22.00 hours and 05.00 hours.
Any recreational craft that have their permanent berths on the banks of these lakes may head for their berths by the shortest possible route.
Travel prohibition outside the fairway
On the Großer Müggelsee recreational craft with internal combustion engines that are in operation may not leave the designated fairway. If they have their permanent berths on the banks of this lake, they may leave or head for their berths by the shortest possible route in relation to the designated fairway.
Travelling outside the fairway of the backwaters and shallow water regions of the Main-Donau Canal, the Regnitz and the Altmühl is prohibited.
On the Spree-Oder waterways, the Berlin and Brandenburg waterways, the lower Havel waterway, the Havel Canal, and the Havel-Oder waterway the following applies:
- Small vessels must travel on the right-hand side on canals, in narrow fairways and on unclear stretches of water as a basic principle.
- A small towing vessel may at most tow nine small vessels. At most three small vessels may travel coupled together.
- Small vessels do not need to display a white light at night if they are at anchor in approved berths.
- Unmanned small vessels may only be at anchor in approved berths.
For powered small vessels the following maximum speeds apply
Table: Maximum speeds for powered small vessels.
| No. | Watercourses | kilometres per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neckar: Above kilometre 4.50 with the exception of lock canals | 18 |
| 2 | Neckar lock canals | 14 |
| 3 | Main (on the stretch from the branching of the Main-Danube Canal to above the railway bridge near Hallstadt) | 15 |
| 4 | Gerlachshausen (Main) lock canal | 8 |
| 5 | In the Wehrarm Volkach (Main loop) | 10 |
| 6 | Main-Danube Canal | 13 |
| 7 | Lahn | 12 |
| 8 | Rhine-Kleve shipping channel |
|
| 8a | Griethauser Altrhein | 10 |
| 8b | Spoy canal | 5 |
| 9 | Rhein-Herne Canal, Ruhr, Wesel-Datteln Canal, Dortmund-Ems Canal including lock canals of the Ems below Meppen, non-extended sections of the Mittelland Canal and its branch and link canals, Datteln-Hamm Canal, Coastal Canal including Hunte with Dörpen branch canal, | 12 |
| 10 | Extended sections of the Mittellandkanal, Salzgitter branch canal, Elbe side canal | 15 |
| 11 | Rothenseer link canal, Elbe-Havel Canal, with the exception of Großer Wendsee, Niegripper link canal | 9 |
| 12 | Pareyer link canal, | 6 |
| 13 | Ems above Gleesen, Elisabethfehn Canal, Ems side canal | 7 |
| 14 | Leda and Sagter Ems |
|
| 14a | when travelling against the current | 7 |
| 14b | when travelling with the current | 10 |
| 15 | Lock canals of the Mittelweser, link canal to the Leine | 12 |
| 16 | Weser, with the exception of stretches of the Weser specified under no. 17 | 35 |
| 17 | Werra, Fulda, Aller, Leine, Ihme, Schneller Graben and the following river sections of the Weser |
|
| 17a | when travelling against the current | 12 |
| 17b | when travelling with the current | 18 |
| 18 | Ilmenau | 7 |
| 19 | Elbe-Lübeck Canal, Trave | 10 |
| 20 | Saar |
|
| 20a | from the mouth of the Saar up to kilometre 73.70 | 16 |
| 20b | from kilometre 73.70 up to the German-French border near Saargemünd | 10 |
| 21 | Spree-Oder Waterway |
|
| 21a | from the mouth of the Spree (kilometre 0.15) up to the flight of locks Charlottenburg (kilometre 6.34) and | 12 |
| 21b | from kilometre 6.34 up to the Stralau Church (kilometre 23.50) | 9 |
| 21c | from kilometre 23.50 to kilometre 33.24 and from kilometre 45.10 up to the confluence with the Oder (kilometre 130.15) | 10 |
| 22 | Müggelspree | 8 |
| 23 | Glienicker Lake and Griebnitzsee of the Teltow Canal | 12 |
| 24 | Rüdersdorf waterbodies | 10 |
| 25 | Löcknitz | 8 |
| 26 | Dahme Waterway | 12 |
| 27 | Storkow waterbodies | 8 |
| 28 | Teupitz waterbodies | 8 |
| 29 | Lower Havel Waterway | 9 |
| 30 | Potsdamer Havel | 12 |
| 31 | Ketziner Havel | 9 |
| 32 | Brandenburger Niederhavel, | 8 |
| 33 | Other canals of the Spree-Oder Waterway, | 8 |
| 34 | Havel-Oder Waterway | |
| 34a | from the mouth of the Spree (kilometre 0.00) up to ahead of the branching off of the Havel Canal (kilometre 10.20) | 12 |
| 34b | kilometre 10.20 up to the confluence with the Westoder (kilometre 134.96) | 9 |
| 35 | Oranienburger Havel, Wriezener Alte Oder | 6 |
| 36 | Other canals of the Havel-Oder Waterway | 6 |
| 37 | Upper Havel Waterway, | 9 |
| 38 | Müritz-Elde Waterway from kilometre 121.00, Stör Waterway to kilometre 19.90 | 6 |
| 39 | Saale | 16 |
| 40 | Saale-Leipzig Canal | 8 |
| 41 | Westoder | 16 |
| 42 | Lausitzer Neiße | 12 |
| 43 | Branch canals, ancillary arms and old arms | 5 |
| 44 | Lakes and lake-like expanses of water with a width of more than 250 metres | 12 |
For engine-powered recreational craft the maximum permissible speed relative to the bank on lakes and lake-like expanses of water outside the protected area near the bank is 25 kilometres per hour.
This does not apply to:
- the Spree-Oder Waterway from the Lange Brücke in Köpenick (kilometre 33.24) up to the start of the regatta section (kilometre 39.30),
- the Müggelspree from kilometre 4.00 to kilometre 7.00 (Großer Müggelsee) outside the marked fairway,
- the Dahme Waterway from Rauchfangswerder (kilometre 3.80) to Dolgenbrodt (kilometre 25,00) including Sellenzugsee, Krimnicksee, Krüpelsee, Dolgensee with Wernsdorfer Seenkette, Möllenzugsee and Zernsdorfer Lanke,
- the Kladower Seestrecke of the Lower Havel Waterway from Schwemmhorn (kilometre 13.00) to the Meedehorn light station (kilometre 15.50) including the Havel ancillary arm south of the Pfaueninsel and Sacrower Lanke,
- the Havel-Oder Waterway from the Spandau lock up to the branch of the Havel Canal including the north part of the Nieder Neuendorfer See, and to the Tegeler See.
- The protected areas near the bank are defined as 100 metre wide water areas running parallel to the line of the banks (land-water transition).
