Dutch authorities have commissioned leading international engineering and consultany firm DHV to develop three options for a new, larger shipping lock at IJmuiden, part of Amsterdam Seaports. The main objective of the study is to improve the accessibility of the ports along the North Sea Canal.

The first phase of the planning study is due to be completed at the end of this year. The study has been awarded a grant of 1.75 million euro under the European Union’s TEN-T program.

Based on the preliminary designs for three types of lock gate design, the stakeholders – the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, the City of Amsterdam and the Province of North Holland – will select the preferred option. Phase 2 will involve the detail design for the preferred option, together with a full environmental impact assessment. Contracting for the construction of the lock will start simultaneously. At the end of the second phase, the final decision on the realisation of the lock will be made and the necessary legislation passed to allow construction to start.

Capacity
The IJmuiden locks complex consists of four separate gates. Over eighty percent of cargo destined for the Port of Amsterdam enters the North Sea Canal through the largest of these gates, the ‘Noordersluis’ (Northern Lock). Built in 1929 it will be due for replacement within the next 15 to 20 years, having reached the end of its technical working life. The new gate must increase throughflow capacity in line with the expected growth in waterborne transport. It will therefore meet market demand, while also making a major contribution to the overall development of the North Sea Canal region and its hinterland.