Construction of Amsterdam Sea Locks Needs Speeding Up

Amsterdam mayor has requested from the City Council to approve EUR 105 million (USD 132 mill) in funding for construction of the new sea lock system at IJmuiden, the Port of Amsterdam informed.

The current complex dates back from 1929 and doesn’t meet the technical requirements to accommodate modern age ships as they increase in size and complexity.

The initial plan by the national government was to replace the locks no later than 2029, however this date seems to be too far away as the port may reach its maximum capacity of 95 million tons already in 2020.

The Port of Amsterdam said that the new lock system would allow the port to increase its capacity to 125 million tons.

What is more, the port may lose its existing contracts should the construction plan fail to be accelerated.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be EUR 889 million, of which a considerable portion should be assigned by the EU.

The City Council is yet to decide on whether to approve the funding.

The preparations for the construction of a new large sea lock in IJmuiden at the port are fully underway.

The Government of the Netherlands, the Province of North Holland and the City of Amsterdam signed a covenant in late November 2009 in which they decided to undertake a planning study into the new large sea lock with the aim of optimising the accessibility of the North Sea Canal area.

World Maritime News Staff