Commercial sea trial for new Terneuzen Lock

The New Lock in Terneuzen has been operational since August 1st. A new phase has now begun: on Monday, December 29th, a commercial sea trial with a wider seagoing vessel took place on the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, reaching ArcelorMittal in Ghent. This sea trial represents an important step in further optimizing North Sea Port's nautical accessibility.

 

It was the ship PIAVIA with a beam of 38.04 meters – one meter more than the current permitted ship size on the Channel – and a length of 229.20 meters that passed through the Nieuwe Sluis in North Sea Port on Monday, December 29.

 

Preparations for this sea trial have been thorough and intensive. Over the past two years, the Flemish-Dutch Scheldt Commission (VNSC), together with North Sea Port, the Common Nautical Management (GNB), and the Flemish and Dutch Pilotage Service, conducted extensive studies. These included nautical simulations of the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, in which pilots virtually steer the vessel in a simulated environment with realistic conditions such as wind, water levels, and bottom profiles. The impact on mooring forces was also investigated.

 

Annick De Ridder, Flemish Minister of Mobility, Public Works, Ports, and Sport: " This trial run demonstrates how important investments in our ports are for a strong economy. By bringing larger and wider ships more easily to our industry, we make transport more efficient and cheaper. This strengthens the international position of our ports, empowers our companies, and ensures that industry and jobs can continue to grow here. "

 

The purpose of the sea trial is to put theory into practice and determine how it performs. Cas König, CEO of North Sea Port: " This provides valuable insights into the practical feasibility of wider and longer vessels on the Channel, and contributes to the development of our future-oriented infrastructure in the port. "

 

The ship's final port was ArcelorMittal Belgium in Ghent. " The ship is carrying commercial cargo that will be unloaded at our quay ," said Frederik Van De Velde, CEO of the ArcelorMittal Belgium steel mill . " This allows us to test how a larger, wider ship can sail right up to our quay and what this means for our people on shore. The more cargo we can transport in one go, the more sustainable and cost-effective our steel production will be."

 

 

 

The New Lock was custom-built for the large vessels that can navigate the Panama Canal. Thanks to the New Lock, these larger and wider vessels will be able to navigate the Canal towards Terneuzen and Ghent in the future, enhancing North Sea Port's international accessibility. North Sea Port therefore aims to further optimize the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal to provide larger vessels with efficient access to the hinterland. This initial test run is an important step in achieving this.

 

" As the port authority, North Sea Port, we make no secret of our eagerness to see a deeper canal, quickly, with a draft for vessels of 14.5 meters, all the way to the Bulk Goods Port in Terneuzen ," says Cas König, CEO of North Sea Port . This is approximately two kilometers beyond the lock and technically feasible to deepen in the short term. This would mean seagoing vessels would no longer need to lighten part of their cargo on the Western Scheldt to enter the Channel via the New Lock.

Unloading at this Bulk Goods Port would then be safer and more cost-effective. The port authority also looks forward to sailing with 43-meter-wide vessels from the New Lock to the Kluizendok and Rodenhuizedok in Ghent. For a single vessel transporting dry or liquid bulk, this quickly adds up to cost savings of several hundred thousand euros.

 

This ambition of North Sea Port has already been confirmed by the Netherlands and Flanders. " The New Terneuzen Lock will also make the North Sea Port ports future-proof. In the coming years, Flanders and the Netherlands will discuss within the Flemish-Dutch Scheldt Commission how they can improve the nautical accessibility of the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal for larger vessels, so that the shipping opportunities created by the lock are maximized ," was stated at the Flemish-Dutch Summit in Ghent on April 1, 2025.