Belgium and the Netherlands last week opened a giant sea lock, as large as the locks of the Panama Canal, that will make the Belgian port of Ghent open to more ocean-going ships, The opening ceremonies were attended by King Filip of Belgium and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.
One of the largest locks in the world at 427 meters long, 55 wide and 16.5 deep, it has been under construction for over seven years. The only larger lock is the Ijmuiden Sea Lock in the Netherlands, opened in 2022.
Despite the best efforts of a special committee set up to choose a name for the new lock, it will have to live with that name; the committee couldn’t come up with a name to agree on, and the lock is therefore De Nieuwe Sluis, or The New Lock.
Belgium’s Flanders regional government paid 80% of the cost because while it is located on Dutch territory, it primarily benefits Belgium. The Netherlands and an EU fund paid the rest of the cost.
