Lock chambers

Navigation through lock chambers

1. When coming near the places intended for waiting of the watercrafts within the range of the lock chambers, the watercraft have to reduce their velocity. If they cannot or do not want to enter the lock chamber immediately, they have to stop in front of the signal sign B.5  , if such a sign is installed on the bank.

2. In waiting condition, within ranges of lock chambers and in lock chambers, the watercrafts equipped with radiophone devices, which enable the network connection for information transmission, have to ensure the operation of such devices to receive the channel reserved for the given lock chamber.

3. The navigation through lock chambers runs in sequence in which the watercrafts have come to the places intended for the watercrafts to wait. Small vessels cannot require to be sailed through separately. They are allowed to enter a lock chamber only upon the instruction of the lock chamber’s operator. If the small vessels sail through together with the watercrafts, which are not small, they are allowed to enter the lock chamber only after these watercrafts.

4. No overtaking is allowed when coming near the ranges of lock chambers, or when waiting.

5. In lock chamber, the anchors have to be weighed fully; this provision relates also to the waiting places near lock chambers if those are not used for anchoring the watercraft.

6. When entering the lock chambers, the watercrafts are to reduce their velocity not to crash into gates, any protective equipment or other watercrafts or floating equipments. 

7. In lock chambers:

  
• a) if the lines for watercrafts are marked, the watercrafts have to stop within those lines;
  
• b) during fulfilling or discharging the lock chambers until the sailing is not permitted, the watercrafts are to be moored and the mooring have be modified so that the watercrafts do not crash into the walls, gates and protective equipments of the lock chamber, or into other watercrafts or floating bodies;
  
• c) it is obligatory to use the buffers; if they are removable they must be floating;
  
• d) it is prohibited to discharge or pour out the water onto the lock chamber plateau or onto other watercrafts or floating bodies;
  
• e) small vessels have to keep a safe distance from other watercrafts.

Sailing into lock chambers and sailing out of lock chambers

1. At day and night, the sailing into a lock chamber is controlled by optical signals that are installed on one or both sides of a lock chamber. These signals have the following meaning:

  
• a) two red lights one above another – sailing-into forbidden, the lock chamber is not in operation;
  
• b) one red light, or two red lights one beside another – sailing-into forbidden, the lock chamber is closed
  
• c) one of two red lights places one beside another is switched off, or one red and one green light beside each other, or one red light about a green light – sailing-into forbidden, the opening of the lock chamber is under preparation
  
• d) one green light, or two green lights one beside another – sailing-into allowed

2. At day and night, the sailing out of a lock chamber is controlled with the following optical signals:

  
• a) one or two red light – sailing-out is forbidden,
  
• b) one or tow green light – sailing-out is allowed.

3. One or two red lights, mentioned in para 1 and 2, can be replaced by a signal sign – board A.1  One or two green lights, mentioned in para 1 and 2, can be replaced by a signal sign – board E.1 

4. If the signal lights or the boards do not fulfil their purpose, the sailing into the lock chambers and the sailing out of them is forbidden without a clear instruction of the lock chamber’s operator.

Priorities for sailing through the lock chambers

The following watercrafts have priority when sailing through the lock chambers: watercrafts of the State Navigation Management,  watercrafts in emergency health service, fire, policy or customs-office watercrafts, which go to fulfil urgent professional duties.

AUTOMATIZED LOCK CHAMBER CONTROL

In 2006, the Directorate of Waterways of the Czech Republic finished the project of Automatized lock chamber control on the Bata Canal. This project allowed eleven lock chambers  of the existing thirteen to be controlled automatically when the watercraft sails through. The Central Traffic Control, which monitors and controls the entire system, is situated in the building of the company Povodí Moravy, s.p.,  in Uherské Hradiště.
The lock chambers can be controlled with three modes:

  
• 1. semi-automatic mode . from the control panel by the operator
  
• 2. automatic mode: by pager from the watercraft
  
• 3. manual mode: in case of failures, by individual closures

Signalling signs at lock chambers:

The signalization is completed with flashing beacon on the semaphore:
The beacon flashes: the lock chamber is controlled by a remote control (the first registered one). On the side the remote control was used, the sign “The lock chamber is ready for this direction” appears, or then other signalling according to the lock condition.
The signalling signs “Sailing-through forbidden for longer time” means that the lock chamber is switched-off or in failure – it cannot be operated.
The signs with four lights are used for sailing into the lock chamber (PK), the signs with two lights are used for sailing out of the lock chamber (PK).

  
• no sailing-through
  
• no sailing-through for longer time
  
• the lock chamber is being prepared for this direction no entry – to prepare for sailing-through
  
• sailing-through allowed