00:00Simply sail in and up you go. 36 meters higher to continue the journey.
00:14What we've done here is a marvel of German engineering.
00:19Similar structures exist all over the world, like this one in China.
00:26It's very reliable, it's hardly ever down.
00:31But the cost must be gigantic. Is it even worth it?
00:37The concept is as simple as it is brilliant and cost-effective.
00:42Ships enter a basin and the open side is sealed.
00:48Ten minutes later they're raised, the barrier is lowered and they're on their way, using only a few kilowatt hours of electricity.
01:01This is due to the ingeniously simple counterweight system, which balances the 10,000 ton basin with counterweights,
01:10allowing minimal force to move or stop the basin.
01:17But constructing the lift came at a cost of 520 million euros. Why invest in something so expensive?
01:25We need to overcome 36 meters here.
01:30400 years ago, the old Fido canal managed this with 17 locks, but it took a long time.
01:40Also an issue 90 years ago, which led to the construction of the original ship lift, right next to where the new one is now.
01:48It was the first of its kind.
01:51Then as now, speed was essential, as this canal is Eastern Germany's only connection to the inland waterway network and the sea.
02:04The whole thing is basically quadruple reinforced, meaning in terms of stability, components and durability, it was very much built to last.
02:14They were worried about making a mistake. They used the highest quality metals available at the time, the best steel,
02:21everything that German industry had to offer between 1927 and 1934, and it still works today.
02:31And it has served as a model for other ship lifts worldwide, including the Three Gorges Dam in China.
02:38And in Scotland, where the world's only rotating shovel lift has become a top tourist attraction.
02:46In Germany, the old lift now serves as a backup for the new one, which occasionally malfunctions, halting shipping.
02:58One thing to keep in mind is that we process 7,000 signals every tenth of a second,
03:04which have to be analyzed and relayed back to the sensors and motors. Occasionally a signal gets lost in the process.
03:15Use of the ship lift is free, making it attractive to inland shipping companies.
03:21The goal is to move more goods and more raw materials by water.
03:26The lift can handle four million tons of cargo annually, but currently only one million tons go by water, despite the freebies.
03:39That decision was made nearly a decade ago. The aim is to promote shipping over road transportation.
03:48But industry still often chooses the road.
03:54Now they've set their sights on a new port for container ships, around a hundred kilometers away.
04:00The lift there will accommodate both containers and river cruise ships.
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