Breakthrough for new sea lock

A new large sea lock to facilitate access to the Amsterdam port area is a step closer now that the central government, province and municipality have reached agreement on its financing. The new lock is expected to be operational in 2016.

In November Minister Eurlings, port alderman Freek Ossel and representative Elisabeth Post of North Holland province signed a covenant on the lock’s financing. Dertje Meijer, Port of Amsterdam CEO, welcomes the agreement. ‘A new, larger lock is the best option for using the growth potential of the North Sea canal area.’ Meijer expects transhipments to double to 125 million tonnes in 2020, within the present port borders and applicable environmental standards. According to the MIRT survey (Multi-year programme for Infrastructure, Zoning and Transport) these growth figures are realistic.

The port has recently grown so rapidly that the capacity limits of the lock system came into sight. Over 80% of all cargo comes through the Noordersluis, the largest of the four locks in the lock system. The lock’s net width of 45 metres is too narrow for the broad ships used in today’s container and bulk shipping.

The new lock has been budgeted at over EUR 700 million. With the financing arrangements in place, Minister Eurlings can take the last step in the procedure, known as the Plan Study. This defines the lock’s dimensions, where it will be sited, the most efficient way to build it and whether all environmental requirements can be met. This step takes around three years.

‘The port is important for the regional economy,’ concurs representative Post. ‘The new lock makes us less dependent on the weather and tides and will eliminate long waiting times. Distribution, logistics and industry are important sectors in the southern part of North Holland. Amsterdam benefits from them, as does the entire North Sea canal area.’

The new lock is also good news for employment. Alderman Ossel: ‘A healthy future for the port will generate 5,000 extra jobs by 2020, provided the large ships can reach Amsterdam. With the new lock they can. We are also creating enough critical mass for investments in sustainability.’