More depth for Flushing

North Sea Port (NSP), the merged Gent and ZSP (Vlissigen and Terneuzen) Belgo-Dutch port authority, will soon complete a tailored dredging operation off the Dutch coast. A sand bar in the 500m wide sea lane will be removed over a 180m stretch, so capers can access the port at maximum or better deadweight. The new 16.5m draft allows passage during the average inbound high tide.

NSP told worldcargonews online that a 15% keel clearance will be observed. Thanks to the precision of removing the 180m long sand bar, the dredging cost just €2.5M, half of which was borne by the Dutch state. The 600,000 m3 removed equates two football pitches by length and width and 60m high, NSP added.