Regionalny Zarząd Gospodarki Wodnej w Gdańsku

1. Locking shall take place during the lock operating hours as specified in the notice to skippers issued for a given year.
2. During the approach to the lock, the speed of the vessel should be reduced. The crew should exercise extreme caution when entering the lock chamber.
3. Before entering the lock, the crew and passengers of the vessel shall wear life jackets.
4. In the case of free entry, the vessel enters the lock chamber directly without stopping before it. If there is no free entry, the vessel should stop at least 100 m* before the lock in a safe place. Stopping must not cause obstruction to the movement of other users of the waterway.
5. Vessels marked with passage priority (red triangular pennant) pass through the lock first. If possible, other vessels should facilitate their entry into the lock.
6. The crew shall not commence the lock entry manoeuvre until the lock gates have been fully opened and a light (green light) or sound signal has been given to allow entry into the lock chamber.
7. When locking, the vessel should be properly moored, the propeller stopped and the vessel's propulsion machinery switched off.
8. It is not permitted to manoeuvre a vessel in a lock chamber using own machinery except to enter, moor and leave the lock.
9. Small vessels should maintain a safe distance from other vessels.
10. A vessel passing through the lock should have flexible fenders hanging on its sides to protect the lock walls. Portable fenders should be unsinkable.
11. Small canoe-type craft should, as far as possible, form a compact group and be linked together by paddles. For safety reasons, canoes should be located as far as possible from the outlets of the bypass channels.
12. During locking, the vessel's crew must be on deck and must strictly follow the instructions of the lock operator.
    To ensure safety and order, the lock operators may also issue commands  that deviate from the shipping regulations.
13. Anchors with fixed blades shall be hoisted on deck, anchors with movable blades shall be hoisted into the holes so deep that the blades are fully adjacent to the hull of the vessel and do not extend beyond the stem.
14. In the lock chamber it is forbidden to discharge water from vessels onto other vessels and the lock quays.
15. The crew shall not start to manoeuvre out of the lock chamber until the lock gates are fully opened and a light (green light) or sound signal is given to allow the crew to leave the lock chamber.
16. Locking rafts up to 28 m long and 3 m wide is permitted. The raft should be a well-connected monolith of individual blocks of wood.**
17. The crew of the vessel should strictly observe the shipping regulations according to the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of April 28, 2003 on shipping regulations on inland waterways.
18. In the event of non-compliance with the regulations or shipping rules, the lock operators may refuse to subject a vessel to locking.
19. Any inappropriate behaviour will be reported to the Inland Waterways Authority and the police.

* unless otherwise specified in the shipping signage

** applies to locks on the Elbląg Canal