The Ems Lateral Canal is a 9-kilometer [1] long federal waterway [2] in Lower Saxony near Emden / East Frisia. It leads from the Unterems (km 30.3) near Oldersum via the Oldersum lock to the Borßumer lock, via which the inland port of Emden is reached. It runs parallel to the Ems and parallel to the railway at a distance of one to two kilometers and is crossed by 8 road and path bridges. The canal is 27 meters wide, between 1.50 meters and 2 meters deep and offers a minimum clearance of 4 meters. As an inland waterway, it belongs to waterway class III. The Emden Waterways and Shipping Office is responsible.
The canal is mainly used by pleasure craft and there are a few small pleasure craft harbors along the canal.
The Ems Lateral Canal was the end section of the Dortmund-Ems Canal, which opened in 1899. This section was built between 1894 and 1897 because the heavy haulage customary at that time in stormy weather conditions were not able to cope with the waves at the height of the Dollart, especially when entering and leaving the port of Emden, which was growing rapidly at the time. At the same time, the drainage conditions in the marshland east of Emden could be improved by the canal; therefore the Oldersum sea lock was also given the function of a sewer.
Since 1968 the Ems Lateral Canal no longer belongs to the Dortmund-Ems Canal, but is a separate federal waterway.