Belgian and Dutch heads of state to inaugurate lock in Terneuzen

The new lock in Terneuzen, one of the most important infrastructure works in the history of the port of Ghent, will be officially opened on 11 October. Both Belgium's King Philippe and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands will be present at the inauguration, North Sea Port reports.

While talks on the construction of a lock that would allow passage for larger seagoing vessels have been going on for almost 20 years, construction only started in 2017. The completion has been delayed twice because of PFOS contamination, obstacles in the subsoil and the Covid-19 pandemic, but the lock is now ready to be inaugurated. 

The two monarchs will unveil the lock from an electrically powered vessel, the Z9. They will also visit the lock platform and control centre and meet project partners and local residents. The day after the inauguration, the lock will be open to the public.

The new lock, which is in the Dutch municipality of Terneuzen but is mainly paid for by Belgium, is part of a large lock complex called North Sea Locks. It connects the port of Ghent with Zeeland and the North Sea and its structure is similar in size to the locks in the Panama Canal.

The Terneuzen lock is very important for the port of Ghent. It will be able to accommodate the increase in river and sea transport in the North Sea Port and make traffic flow more smoothly by reducing waiting times.

Anyone who wishes to visit on 12 October can register via the North Sea Locks website.

^{#FlandersNewsService | Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Dutch King Willem-Alexander, King Philippe of Belgium and Dutch Queen Maxima during an official state visit of the Dutch royal couple to Belgium in 2023 © BELGA PHOTO BENOIT DOPPAGNE}