The largest boat to ever pass through the West India lock into South Quay London Docklands made it - with 1.4 metres to spare
The German cruiseliner, MS Deutschland is docked in the
heart of Canary Wharf today as part of a 36-hour trial run for the 2012 Olympics. The German Olympic Committee plan to use the ship as a base during the games.
The manoeuvre took just under three hours, and a huge amount
of skill to complete. The ship itself is 175.3m long with a 23m beam, and the lock is just over this at 178m long and 24.4m wide.
It is the largest ship to ever pass through the lock. She had to be brought in stern first, during high tide.
Billy Smith, British Waterways dockmaster and tidal locks supervisor, said,”Bringing MS Deutschland into the docks is a real achievement. The manoeuvre into the confined space of the lock shows how good planning, combined with the skill of the teams involved, worked to ensure the berthing operation was successful.”
The income from the mooring charges will go straight to maintaining the 2000 miles inland waterways overseen by British Waterways.
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