North Sea Port expands with one of world's largest locks
The New Lock in Terneuzen, one of the largest in the world, will be officially inaugurated in the Dutch port city on Friday. The North Sea Locks complex has taken seven years to build and is expected to cost 1.208 billion euros, most of which will be paid by Flanders.
The North Sea Locks represent an important investment for the North Sea Port, the merger of the ports of Ghent, Terneuzen and Vlissingen. It consists of three locks, the largest of which is in Terneuzen. As the complex will mainly benefit the port of Ghent, Flanders will pay most of the construction costs.
Total cost still unknown
However, these costs have increased significantly since 2018, from 934 million euros in 2018 to the current estimate of 1.208 billion euros. How much the parties will have to pay remains to be seen. Negotiations on the final division of costs between the Netherlands and Flanders are still ongoing, as the final price is not yet known.
"We are still negotiating with a number of contractors," says Harm Verbeek, environmental manager at Nieuwe Sluis Terneuzen. "This is because of increases in the price of steel or price increases due to the war in Ukraine. First we negotiate with the contractor. Then it is shared between Flanders and the Netherlands."
The EU is also contributing to the project with a subsidy of around 48 million euros.
Economic opportunities
The parties involved expect the investment to pay off, as the North Sea Locks will allow larger ocean-going vessels to use the Ghent-Terneuzen canal as far as Ghent.
The increased capacity of the locks will also reduce waiting times and allow more vessels to enter. The improved accessibility is expected to create new economic activity and employment opportunities in the Netherlands and Flanders.
"This is a huge investment of enormous importance for the port," says Sofie Bracke, councillor responsible for the Port of Ghent. "This is the largest business park we have, with 106,000 jobs. In the canal villages and Oostakker, there are neighbourhoods where almost everyone works in the port."
"This is a huge investment of enormous importance for the port"
On Friday, King Philippe of Belgium will officially inaugurate the new lock complex at Terneuzen. As it is located on Dutch territory, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands will also be in attendance. On Friday, a huge bulk carrier carrying ore for steel producer ArcelorMittal will be the first ship to pass through the main lock.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO/VIDEO JONAS D'HOLLANDER
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