IJmuiden Sea Lock Project Update for July and August

OpenIJ – a consortium of construction companies building the world’s largest sea lock in IJmuiden, the Netherlands – is continuing construction activities at the sea lock during the summer months.

These activities include the sinking operation of the inner lock head, construction work to connect the dividing wall to the outer lock head, and work on the northern and southern lock chamber walls as well as on the future lock chamber itself.

Work on the local control buildings, the lock sill cofferdam, and completion works to the lock gates will also continue.

The sinking operation of the lock gate chamber for the inner head

The sinking operation of the lock gate chamber for the inner head has started. With a length of 80 meters, a width of 55 meters and a height of 25 meters, this lock gate chamber is twice as big as that of the outer head.

It provides space for both the inner lock gate (on the North Sea Canal side) and the spare lock gate. Centimeter by centimeter, the lock gate chamber will be sunk into the ground.

This is done by dredging away the sand underneath the structure, using remote-controlled robot arms. Dredging is done fully automatically and monitored 24 hours a day and 7 days a week by CCTV cameras, sensors and measuring instruments installed under the floor of the lock gate chamber.

Connecting the dividing wall to the outer lock head

In the coming period, work will be carried out to connect the dividing wall to the outer lock head. This connection forms part of the future approach channel to the new sea lock. Works scheduled for the coming months are concreting operations for the anchor beams.

Northern and southern lock chamber walls

In the coming months, finishing work will be carried out to the northern and southern lock chamber walls, such as the installation of reinforcement steel, cover slabs, concrete formwork, concreting operations and the construction of anchors. The two lock chamber walls together will soon form the chamber of the new sea lock.

Completion of the lock gates

In a specially dredged out part of the future new lock chamber lies the lock gate for the outer head which is being completed on-site. In the coming months, electrical and hydraulic installations will be installed in this lock gate.