New Lock Terneuzen Project Put in Motion

Ghent Port Company has applauded the agreement to build New Lock Teurnzen signed between Belgium and the Netherlands, saying the new lock will improve the access to the Flemish port of Ghent and the Dutch port of Terneuzen.

Flemish minister for Mobility and Public Works Ben Weyts and Dutch minister for Infrastructure and Environmental Affairs Melanie Schultz van Haegen signed the ”Treaty between the Netherlands and Flanders for the construction of the New Lock Terneuzen” on Thursday, 5 February 2015.

The construction of the lock is expected to cost EUR 920 million (USD 1.05bn). The Netherlands will pay EUR 155 million (USD 177.4m), with Flanders covering the remaining expenses.

The New Lock Terneuzen will roughly be as long and as wide as the renewed locks on the Panama Canal. The new lock will have the following dimensions: 427 metres in length, 55 metres in width and a depth of 16.44 metres and will be built inside the present lock complex at Terneuzen.

The lock is expected to provide a smoother passage of inland vessels between the Netherlands, Belgium and France. It is expected that the lock will be ready in 2021. The construction of the new lock is the biggest investment in port infrastructure ever for Ghent Port Company.

The Netherlands and Flanders will jointly apply for obtaining European Ten-T subsidies from the European Commission within the framework of the development of the trans-European transport network.