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Europe’s Largest Inland Harbor

By “Awake!” correspondent in West Germany

AS MY wife and I took leave of friends in a beautiful section of southern Germany, they asked: “Where will you go?” We explained our destination to be on the Rhine, in the neighborhood of Duisburg. “Oh,” our friends exclaimed, “you are going where it sparks and smokes!”

Anyone who has visited Duisburg knows what they meant. During the day clouds of smoke belching out of huge chimneys darken the sky. At night blast furnaces cause the heavens to take on fire-red appearance.

But instead of letting this discourage us, we decided to go exploring. We learned that Duisburg is the location of Europe’s largest inland harbor. Its quays extend for a distance of 27 miles (43 kilometers) and accommodate 22 docks. This is an important harbor. During 1974, 68 million metric tons of goods were handled here. In contrast, during the same period Hamburg’s largest seaport cared for only 57 million metric tons.

An Ideal Location

A reason for the importance of this inland harbor is its ideal location. Blast furnaces of some of the world’s largest iron and steel producers are located at Duisburg. The immediate vicinity contains rich supplies of bituminous coal. And within the city limits are a large copper works and a number of chemical factories. Concentration of industry along this part of the Rhine River and its nearby offshoot, the Ruhr, called for an efficient harbor.

Further enhancing its value as a harbor site, Duisburg links up with an international waterway and with East Germany by means of canals. In fact, with the aid of the Rhine-Main-Donau Canal it is possible to go clear to the Black Sea. Ships come to Duisburg from France, Spain, England, Scandinavia, Poland, Russia and other countries.

Taking a Look Around

Armed with some basic information, we decided to take a sight-seeing tour of this sprawling inland harbor. We chose a seat on the upper deck of the sight-seeing boat so as to observe everything without interference.

Just after pulling away from the shore, the silhouette of this area’s huge industrial complex caught our attention. Soon a large copper works appeared, one that processes more than a million metric tons of raw material each year. Our attention then turned to a chemical plant that has been in operation for over a century. The pollution there was irksome indeed. Brownish yellow clouds of exhaust hung in the air. Rusty-red dust continually rained from the contaminated atmosphere, coating the entire vicinity. Though large sums of money have gone into air filters and other means of reducing pollution, these efforts have proved to be far from adequate.

Eventually we arrived at Schwanentor, the oldest part of Duisburg’s harbor. There we saw the huge silos of a grain harbor that was built in 1840. Then we turned around and headed back toward the Rhine. There was much more to see.

In a short time, we sailed past an oil harbor with 600 immense tanks. Ships from Rotterdam sat anchored at the pump station, waiting to unload their supplies of crude oil. On the other side is a scrap harbor. Here is found the largest hydraulic scrap press in Europe. With a force of some 5,120 pounds per square inch (360 kilograms per square centimeter), this device mashes together and bundles up fragments of scrap metal, which is then used for producing steel. In these mountains of scrap were many automobile bodies. We wondered: “When will ours end up here?”

The air became increasingly murky, and we quickly discovered why. Our sight-seeing boat was passing cranes and conveyor belts handling coal. Interestingly, this atmosphere seems to have little ill effect on the white seagulls that flutter about restlessly. They not only find food in the grayish-green harbor waters, but also maintain astonishingly clean vests in spite of the blackened atmosphere.

Tugboats Old and New

The harbor widened and we caught a glimpse of tugboat units. In times past, tugs pulled barges behind them, but nowadays they push them. In this way a tugboat can move six large barges connected to one another. The scene reminds us of a railroad switchyard. These “pushing tugs” employ two crews so as to work day and night.

Here and there, however, we saw older tugboats. The flower boxes that graced their cabin windowsills, the laundry that fluttered in the breeze and the playpens enclosed in wire netting reminded us that family life still exists on the waters of Duisburg harbor.

We even had opportunity to go aboard an old paddle-wheel tug. This steam-driven vessel now serves as a floating navigation museum. It is 246 feet (75 meters) long and has two black chimneys that rise almost 30 feet (9 meters) skyward. At about midship its sizable wheel housing on the outside made it evident that we were aboard an antique. On display inside the ship were many historical pieces, including models of old ships, laws that formerly regulated river traffic and even a facsimile of an ancient Roman anchor made of wood.

Do you plan to visit Germany? If you come to the vicinity of Duisburg, you will find it worth while to do as we did​—tour Europe’s largest inland harbor.