New lock for Terneuzen as Ghent harbour grows
The Flemish and Dutch governments last week signed an agreement over the construction of a large lock at Terneuzen in Zeeland, the Netherlands, at the mouth of the canal that links the Port of Ghent to the Scheldt estuary and the North sea.
The agreement reached by mobility minister Hilde Crevits and her Dutch counterpart Melanie Schultz van Haegen brings to an end several years of doubt over the future of the Port of Ghent. Three options were being considered: a lock for smaller craft, a combi-lock for seagoing vessels intended for inland waterways or a large sea lock. In the end, the two governments opted for the latter, most expensive, option, which was favoured by the Flemish government.
The Port of Ghent (pictured) last year saw record traffic of 48 million tonnes, an increase of
29% over 2009. Port authorities said the increase was largely due to the access available to larger ships.
The increase covered both sea traffic and inland waterway traffic. "This is beyond our wildest dreams," commented Ghent's alderman for port affairs, Christophe Peeters.
Brazil is Ghent's main trading partner, largely for the import of ores and fruit juices. Russia comes second, for coal and metal products. Direct and indirect employment at the port, which is seen as an important junction between sea freight and traffic on inland waterways, is estimated at about 70,000 workers, expected to grow in the next couple of years as the port heads towards its target of 50 million tonnes of traffic. The new sea lock at Terneuzen will have a major effect on that progression.
At Zeebrugge, meanwhile, port traffic was up 11% in 2010 to 49.8 million tonnes, also an all-time record. All types of freight saw an increase, in particular new cars and ride-on, ride-off (roro) freight. The port saw 1.6 million cars pass through, an increase of almost 25% on 2009. For roro freight, the increase was 31% to 12.5 million tonnes. The number of cruise passengers also rose, by 19.6% to 201,250. This year, Zeebrugge will open a new container terminal at the Albert II dock.
