Antwerp's Scheldt dredging halted by Dutch eco concerns

THE Dutch government has suspended permits for Belgian dredging of a navigation channel in the River Scheldt, which wends in and out of the two countries on its way to the North Sea.

The routing decree covers deepening of the Western Scheldt at 12 shallow points that are currently not deep enough for the largest ships, making the dredging works of "crucial importance for further economic development" of Belgium.

A statement from the Belgian inland Port of Antwerp said it had long pleaded for deepening to allow ships passage, irrespective of the tide, with a draft of up to 13 metres.

Officials from Belgium's Antwerp Port Authority said that until now the body always had confidence that "good neighbourliness" offered the best prospects for deepening the navigation channel in the Western Scheldt.

"Indeed, it was on the basis of such a 'good neighbour' policy that Flanders and the Antwerp port community have always had sympathy for the Dutch demands and preconditions that met the Belgian, Flemish and Antwerp requests for deepening," the statement said.

The Antwerp Port Authority said it now expects the Netherlands to "carry out the necessary restoration work without delay", to enable dredging under treaty terms ratified by both countries in 2005.

(Source: www.schednet.com)