DORTMUND-EMS CANAL

German Dortmund-ems-kanal, important commercial canal in western Germany linking the Ruhr industrial area with the North Sea near Emden. It extends from Dortmund (south) to the junction with the Rhein-Herne Canal; floating docks and locks are there. Just north, it crosses the Lippe-Seitenkanal (Lippe Lateral Canal). These connections provide links between the Rhine River and the North Sea entirely within German territory. It then runs northeast and north through the canalized bed of the Ems River. Chief imports passing southward are iron ore, grain, and sugar; products sent downstream (northward) include coal, coke, stone, and gravel. The canal was opened in 1899 and is about 167 miles (269 km) long.