Authorisation for priority at locks
Last update
Summary:
You can request priority locking under certain conditions.
Police regulations on navigation on the Moselle River (Règlement de police pour la navigation de la Moselle - RPNM) allow for the granting of priority locking rights.
Who is concerned
Priority locking rights may be granted to:
- vessels which, due to the nature of their load or for safety reasons, need to transit locks quickly;
- vessels undertaking salvage or other emergency operations;
- passenger vessels carrying at least 100 passengers undertaking recognised scheduled transport, under an operating permit.
The schedule of priority lockings can be consulted online.
It should be noted that priority passage does not entitle the holder to transit locks at a predetermined time.
Deadlines
You can request your priority locking rights from the 3rd Monday in November of the year preceding the lock passage.
The inland waterway users must be notified of any priority locking rights at least one month in advance. Your applications must therefore be received no later than 15 days prior to that date.
Costs
The amount of the tax is determined as follows:
- EUR 50: file opening charge, payable per vessel and per season, upon filing of an application for priority locking;
- EUR 30: charge, payable per vessel, for modifications to authorised priority lockings.
A payment request will be sent to you by the Department of Inland Navigation (Service de la navigation fluviale) once your application has been received. The request will only be processed once proof of payment has been received.
How to proceed
Submitting the application
On the application, you must state:
- your surname(s), first name(s), capacity and home address if you are a natural person. If you are submitting the application on behalf of a legal person, you must state:
- its company name, corporate purpose and registered office;
- your surname(s), first name(s), capacity, home address and authority as the signatory of the application; and
- where applicable, details of the person(s) authorised to represent the legal entity before the authorities;
- the transport timetable, including an indication of locking times;
- the boat specifications.
You must send your initial request or your request for modification to the Department of Inland Navigation by email to service.navigation@sn.etat.lu.
You must submit a duly completed application for each vessel with the 'grid for application for priority rights at the Stadtbredimus and Grevenmacher locks' (schéma pour la demande des droits prioritaires aux écluses de Stadtbredimus et de Grevenmacher).
An up-to-date schedule of priority lockings will be published and made available to view online.
Use of the permit
The priority locking permit grants the beneficiary vessel the right to transit locks ahead of other vessels as soon as it is sighted by the lock staff at the level of the C4 sign of the RPNM Annex 7 with the complementary sign.
It should be noted that every priority locking must be followed by a lock passage of a boat in the same direction without priority rights.
In addition to the general signage, vessels with priority locking rights must fly a red pennant on the bow, high enough to be clearly visible.
Validity
Priority locking rights may be revoked or modified at any time, notably for reasons of safety and fluidity of waterway traffic, or for proper operation of the waterway. In such cases, permit holders are not entitled to any compensation.
The authorisation ceases to be valid if any one of the conditions to which it is subject is not fulfilled or ceases to be fulfilled.
Renewal
In the event of the cancellation or modification of planned journeys, the locks in question must be informed as soon as possible.
If priority locking rights have not been exercised on more than 2 occasions, without prior notification, the priority rights may be revoked and the publication modified to reflect this (i.e. the publication of the schedule of priority lockings). The priority locking rights would then have to be applied for again, in accordance with the present procedure.
Who to contact
-
Ministry of Mobility and Public Works Department of Inland Navigation
- Address:
-
36, rue de Machtum
L-6753
Grevenmacher
Luxembourg
B.P. 8, L-6701 Grevenmacher
- Phone:
- (+352) 75 00 48 1
- Email address:
- service.navigation@sn.etat.lu
- Website:
- https://www.service-navigation.lu
Related procedures and links
Procedures
Links
Further information
sur le site du Service de la navigation fluviale
Legal references
- Règlement de Police pour la Navigation de la Moselle (RPNM) – Moselschifffahrtspolizeiverordnung (MoselSchPV)
-
Règlement grand-ducal modifié du 29 août 2017
déterminant le montant et la perception des taxes et redevances relatives à l’utilisation du domaine public fluvial
