A groundbreaking ceremony for the New Terneuzen Lock took place yesterday, DEME said in its latest announcement.
The Flemish-Dutch Scheldt Commission (Vlaams-Nederlandse Scheldecommissie) recently commissioned the Sassevaart joint venture the contract to construct the new lock.
The joint venture consists of BAM (the Dutch and Belgian sister companies BAM Infra and BAM Contractors), DEME (DEME Infra Marine Contractors B.V. and Dredging International N.V.) and the Belgian contractor Algemene Aannemingen Van Laere N.V.
The contract value is more than €753 million, according to BAM.
The new lock will be 427 meters long, 55 meters wide and will have a depth of 16 meters. It will be built within the current lock complex, between the Western and Eastern locks.
“For DEME’s subsidiaries Dredging International and DIMCO, this challenging infrastructure project is an opportunity for jointly employing their expertise,” the company said.
The new lock, expected to be operational in 2022, will provide better access to the ports of Ghent and Terneuzen, and a faster shipping flow between the Netherlands, Belgium and France.