Rhine–Herne Canal
| Rhine–Herne Canal | |
|---|---|
Map of the Rhine–Herne Canal | |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 45.6 km (28 mi) |
| History | |
| Construction began | 1906 |
| Date completed | 1914 |
| Geography | |
| Start point | Rhine at Duisburg, Germany |
| End point | Dortmund-Ems Canal near Henrichenburg, Germany |
| Beginning coordinates | 51°26′59″N 6°46′1″E / 51.44972°N 6.76694°E |
| Ending coordinates | 51°37′1″N 7°19′19″E / 51.61694°N 7.32194°E |
The Rhine–Herne Canal (German: Rhein-Herne-Kanal) is a 45.6-kilometre-long (28.3 mi) transportation canal in the Ruhr area of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with five canal locks. The canal was built over a period of eight years (5 April 1906 – 14 July 1914) and connects the harbour in Duisburg on the Rhine (51°26′59″N 6°46′1″E / 51.44972°N 6.76694°E) with the Dortmund-Ems Canal near Henrichenburg (51°37′1″N 7°19′19″E / 51.61694°N 7.32194°E), following the valley of the Emscher. It was widened in the 1980s. The Rhein-Herne canal ship was designed specifically for this canal; normally of about 1300–1350 ton capacity, it has a maximum draft of 2.50 metres (8.2 ft), a length of approximately 80 metres (260 ft), and maximum beam of 9.50 metres (31.2 ft).
Originally the Rhine-Herne canal ended in Herne, where it met a branch of the Dortmund-Ems-Kanal running from Henrichenburg to Herne, the intersection situated just above the East Herne lock.
After the closure of the last part of the Henrichenburg to Herne canal, the Henrichenburg-Herne section of the Dortmund-Ems was added to the Rhein-Herne Canal.