Terneuzen lock complex becomes North Sea locks

The political college of the Flemish-Dutch Scheldt Commission, the Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Mark Harbers and the Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works, Lydia Peeters unveiled this afternoon the new name for the lock complex in Terneuzen: North Sea Locks. They did so during a working visit to the New Lock.

The choice of the name North Sea locks, is to establish a connection between the port of Ghent and Terneuzen and the adjacent sea area. Moreover, the name fits well with the port company North Sea Port. Internationally speaking, the 'North Sea Locks' will soon be located in the port area of 'North Sea Port'.

New Lock remains New Lock

A naming committee chaired by the mayor of Terneuzen, Erik van Merrienboer, chose to name the Terneuzen lock complex the North Sea Locks. The naming committee further consisted of Mathias De Clercq, mayor of Ghent, Daan Schalck, CEO North Sea Port and Willy Dekker, chief engineer-director Rijkswaterstaat Zee en Delta. The committee also decided to maintain the names Oostsluis, Westsluis and Nieuwe Sluis for the individual locks within the complex. The College of Mayor and Aldermen adopted these names.

Website

With the unveiling of the name Noordzeesluizen, the website noordzeesluizen.eu was also launched. This website will be used over the next year to announce the activities, festivities and news surrounding the opening of the New Lock in the fall of 2024.

Larger marine vessels and more capacity

Since 2017, a new large sea lock in Terneuzen has been under construction on behalf of the Flemish-Dutch Scheldt Commission. This lock is being built within the existing lock complex, which also includes the East Lock and West Lock. The North Sea locks make the North Sea Port (Ghent, Terneuzen and Flushing) fusion port optimally accessible by water. With the arrival of the New Lock, larger seagoing vessels will be able to sail through the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal as far as the port of Ghent. The capacity of the locks also increases, reducing waiting time for inland vessels. In this way we increase the accessibility of the ports and create new economic activities in both the Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and Flemish regions. This is good for employment in both the Netherlands and Flanders. 

Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works, Lydia Peeters:
'The North Sea locks are an important link for North Sea Port and the Seine-Scheldt connection. The New Lock is not only a gateway to our waterways and logistics, but also a switch to a prosperous future for the Flemish economy.'

'This project is a fine example of Flemish-Dutch cooperation, and of great importance for our economies." says Dutch infrastructure minister Mark Harbers. "And with the planned opening next year of the New Lock, the North Sea locks will soon be ready for the future. The lock is longer, wider and deeper than its predecessor, which is important to allow for the growth in shipping traffic.