Your ship will transit the 61-mile Nord-Ostsee-Kanal between the North Sea and the Baltic between Brunsbüttel at the mouth of the Elbe River and Holtenau, near Kiel Harbour. The freshwater canal cuts through the flat, agricultural lowlands of Schleswig-Holstein, saving ships an average of 250 nautical miles navigating around the Jutland Peninsula. It is the busiest artificial waterway in the world. Ships pass under nine high bridge crossings, passing through locks at each end.