Sächsische Zeitung from 23.11.2016:

A ray is stranded at the reservoir next to the Ocean Beach Bar. Its epidermis shines brown, the edges of its body silver. Wide tracks can be seen in the sand to the right and left. Evidence of an elaborate shifting operation of the ray-like or alternatively leaf-like platform of the new Bautzen jetty, which was moved into its final position on Tuesday. It was such a challenge for the fitters from the Kiebitzberg shipyard in Havelberg, Saxony-Anhalt, that the operations manager of the shipbuilding and jetty construction department, René Staar, personally traveled to Upper Lusatia.

There was no water. Due to maintenance work on the dam, the water level had been lowered and was only slowly returning to its usual level. „We normally stand in the water in our waders or work from a boat,“ explains Staar. The platforms for jetties are then usually lowered into the water at a suitable point from the shore and then swum in to the intended location. „We didn't have normal conditions here,“ says the 37-year-old.

Unfamiliar working environment

This also had its advantages: Over the past two weeks, five fitters from Kiebitzberg were able to place the 45-metre-long fixed jetty on the piles driven into the sand by Steinle Bau without getting their feet wet. The railings were attached and the gate between the fixed jetty and the movable bridge, which leads to the swimming platform like a gangway, was installed. On Thursday, the most beautiful part of the jetty construction arrived at the reservoir - the floating platform. At the request of the city council, its outline was to be modeled on a lime leaf, based on the Sorbs„ coat of arms. “This is the first time we have developed a platform like this," says Staar.

That's saying something, because the workers at the Havelberg shipyard have built moorings in numerous ports in Germany - from the Baltic Sea to Lake Constance. It accounts for 70 percent of their orders, reports Staar. For example, three bridges and several jetties have just been built for the 2017 State Garden Show in Apolda, Thuringia. The shipyard also builds ships, such as yachts, houseboats and rafts. „Also floating bodies, but with significantly more technology,“ as the shipbuilding manager casually puts the difference to the floating platform of the Bautzen jetty.

Heavy transport through the night

A heavy goods vehicle drove the two pre-assembled halves of the platform from Havelberg to Bautzen over a long night under police escort. „One half of the platform is 4.7 meters wide and weighs two tons,“ explains Stefan Kubat, who directed the assembly on site. The blade halves had to be unloaded from the transporter using a massive chain excavator, then transported to the lake and positioned precisely on the movable bridge of the fixed jetty. The operation was a success and Bautzen's jetty has been complete since Tuesday.

At the moment, the platform is on dry land. When the reservoir returns to its usual level, the platform will rise or sink between four dolphins - as the piles that are usually in the water are called - depending on the water level. According to Kubat, the slope of the bridge, which connects the fixed and floating sections, will normally be around five percent. This means that the bridge is also suitable for wheelchair users. Extra resting platforms have been installed for them in the fixed section. This means that the footbridge does not run slightly downhill for the entire 45 meters, but is interrupted by level sections. The entire system is corrosion-resistant and hardly requires any maintenance, explains Kubat. The boards are made from a mixture of wood chips and recycled plastic, which is why they do not rot like normal wood when it gets wet.

A canoe step creates comfort

There is also comfort for boaters, who can moor at four points on the platform as well as at the dolphins. Kubat points to the narrow ledge that runs around the plateau. „That's a canoe step. It makes it easier to get out.“ Also helpful will be two ladders that will protrude from the platform into the water. They are still in storage due to the current low tide. The jetty is not suitable for passenger ships, but is intended for sports and leisure boats, emphasize the designers from the Kiebitzberg shipyard. „The boats can weigh a maximum of two tons and be a maximum of eight meters long,“ says Kubat, setting out the limits of what is possible.

The jetty, in which the city has invested around a quarter of a million euros, is to be officially opened on December 6. By then, there should be enough water to float the platform on the reservoir for the first time.