The construction of a sea lock in the Port of Antwerp in Belgium will be partly funded via the TEN-T Program.
The project will receive €5 million in contribution to ensure that one of the bottlenecks currently restricting capacity at the port is removed. The aim of the project, which was selected for funding under the 2011 TEN-T Annual Call, is to build a sea lock in the Port of Antwerp, one of northern Europe’s busiest ports. The new lock will create a new connection between the tidal Deurganckdock and the non-tidal docks of Waaslandhaven. The dimensions of the new lock will be the same as those of the Berendrecht lock, located on the right bank of the Scheldt river, which is currently the biggest sea lock in the world.
The lock will be 68 meters wide and 500 meters long, with a depth of 17.8 metres. It will be equipped with four rolling gates and four moveable bridges will be constructed to deviate road and rail traffic over the lock. An operating center for all parts of the lock complex and several technical buildings will also be constructed as part of the project.
Thanks to this lock, the capacity of the port to handle additional vessels and better manage their distribution will be improved. The new infrastructure will reduce delays for entering and leaving the Waaslandhaven, increase operational reliability, allow larger ships to enter, optimise the use of the available port infrastructure and increase safety by creating a second entrance/exit to the Waaslandhaven, yielding benefits to the entire European shipping sector. The project will be managed by the Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency and construction is expected to last until December 2014, when the new lock basin will enter into service.