The new lock in Terneuzen will be operational from 1 August 2025, as part of the “North Sea Lock Complex” which will allow vessels with a draft of 12.5 meters to pass during all tidal conditions.
The authorities have been testing the lock since May with various vessel types and operators having successfully made use of the locks. The successful testing phase of the locks have shown that ships of various types and sizes could successfully transit the locks up to the operational limits and that they can now be opened to all traffic.
The locks are a significant infrastructure investment for the Dutch inland water ways being 427 meters long, 55 meters wide, and 16.44 meters deep. The locks can handle ships of up to 366 meters long, 49 meters wide, and 14.5 meters deep. The specifications make the new lock similar in size and capacity to the Panama Canal and reflects the growing size of ships and increased traffic. As part of the North Sea Port it provides ships with better access and smoother passage from the North Sea and the Western Scheldt to the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal and beyond and significantly improves the operational options for inland shipping between Rotterdam, Belgium and through the Scheldt River and Belgian canal network into Northern France.
The number of ships using the North Sea Locks has been increasing consistently in recent years and the new lock is expected to significantly improve sailing times, capacity and reduce delays and provided bigger ships to port access in the region.
The North Sea Locks in the Dutch city of Terneuzen form a lock complex that provides access from the navigable channel of the Western Scheldt to the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal and thus to the port of Ghent. The canal was constructed between 1823 and 1825.