North Sea Port: Optimising the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal after the New Lock
- North Sea Port hosts 550 businesses, generates €12.7 billion in annual added value and supports 106,000 jobs.
- The New Lock in Terneuzen is 427 metres long and 55 metres wide and was opened in October 2024.
- Trial voyages are underway with vessels 38 metres wide and up to 240 metres long without canal modifications.
- Planned measures include limited channel deepening to the Bulk Cargo Port and longer-term structural optimisation pending further studies.
Port role and European connections
North Sea Port presents itself as a cross-border industrial and logistics hub linking the North Sea to the European hinterland via inland waterways, rail, road and pipelines. The port supports 550 businesses, generates €12.7 billion in added value annually and provides 106,000 jobs, and lies along the North Sea–Rhine–Mediterranean and North Sea–Baltic corridors. The port also highlights rail developments such as Rail Gent–Terneuzen and the Seine–Scheldt link toward Paris.
New Lock and canal optimisation
The New Lock in Terneuzen, opened in October 2024, measures 427 metres by 55 metres and can accommodate NeoPanamax seagoing vessels, increasing capacity and reducing waiting times. North Sea Port views the lock as the foundation for further upgrades to the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal, noting existing limitations on the Canal itself.
Current activities include trial voyages with vessels 38 metres wide and up to 240 metres long without modifications. Planned next steps are limited modifications such as deepening the channel up to and including the Bulk Cargo Port, followed by studies for structural, long-term optimisation.
European added value and next steps
The New Lock was built under the Flemish–Dutch Scheldt Commission with support from the Connecting Europe Facility, strengthening maritime access for the Netherlands, Belgium and France and the link between the Scheldt and Seine basins. North Sea Port frames further canal optimisation as a measure to bolster sustainable inland-waterway transport, reinforce TEN-T corridors and support European cohesion, noting the 200th anniversary of the canal in 2027. “We are fully committed to future-proof port and waterway infrastructure for a strong and resilient Europe,” says Cas König, CEO of North Sea Port.
Source: North Sea Port