# Belgian and Dutch kings open Terneuzen’s new sea lock after years of delay
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and King Philippe of Belgium have jointly opened the Nieuwe Sluis in Terneuzen, a vast sea lock built to improve access to the Port of Ghent and ease traffic on the canal route between the Netherlands and Belgium. The ceremony marked the formal completion of a project that had taken more than seven years to build.
The lock is a major piece of infrastructure by any standard. According to the packet, it is 427 meters long, 55 meters wide and nearly 16.5 meters deep, making it one of the largest locks in the world. It is roughly the same size as the locks in the Panama Canal and only slightly smaller than the Zeesluis IJmuiden, which opened in 2022.
Its purpose is practical: to allow larger sea-going ships to reach Ghent more easily. That matters because the older complex at Terneuzen had become too small for the biggest vessels, limiting efficiency on a waterway that matters to both Dutch and Belgian trade. The project therefore sits at the intersection of national infrastructure and cross-border logistics.
The packet also makes clear that the project was expensive and delayed. Initial plans date back to 2011, the formal build agreement came in 2015, and the opening was originally scheduled for 2022. Problems including pandemic disruption, delayed parts from China, PFAS in the ground and inflation linked to the war in Ukraine pushed up the costs and slowed the timeline.
In total, about 1.2 billion euros was spent, roughly a quarter more than budgeted. The Flemish side covered about 80 percent of the cost, with the Netherlands paying several hundred million euros and the European Union contributing a smaller amount. That funding split reflects the lock’s cross-border importance, especially for access to Ghent.
The opening also came after controversy during demolition of the old Middensluis, when too much explosive was used and nearly 200 people filed damage claims. The packet calls that a blemish on the project, but says the final development was completed after further investigation.
Even now, the lock is not immediately operating at full scale. Staff still need training before the system can handle the largest vessels regularly, and some associated facilities, including a service harbor, remain unfinished. That means the opening is a milestone, not the end of every construction task around the site.
For Terneuzen, the hope is that the lock will bring long-term growth, reduce waiting times for inland shipping and support jobs along the canal route. For Belgium, it is a long-sought improvement in access to one of its key ports. For both monarchs, the event was a symbolic display of cooperation as much as a ribbon-cutting.
Event date: 2024-10-11
