The first of three doors for the new sea lock in IJmuiden has arrived.
The door was transported by a tug across the North Sea to its final destination. With a stopover at Maasvlakte 2, the door has covered more than 26,000 km between South Korea and IJmuiden. The transport over the last 80 km took 30 hours and went smoothly.
Watch a video of the lock door arriving in IJmuiden below.
New Chapter in the Contruction of the Largest Sea Lock in the World
Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, is pleased with the arrival of the door: 'It is good that after a long journey, the first lock door has now arrived at its destination. This is a milestone for this project and the start of a new chapter in the construction of the largest sea lock in the world.'
Floating Tow
The lock door, which is 72 m long, 24 m high and 11 m wide, was towed to IJmuiden while floating after the tug. The closed construction of the door can be compared to a ship. The doors have air chambers so that they remain floating despite their weight of 3000 tons. Ballast tanks filled with water provided stability.
Weather-dependent
The transport was very weather-dependent. For example, the height of the waves and the force and direction of the wind determine whether sailing is possible. In addition, high tide is needed in IJmuiden to be able to drag the doors through the Noordersluis. As soon as the weather is favourable, the other two doors will also be towed from the Maasvlakte to IJmuiden.
Technical Installations
All the technology necessary for the doors to function properly is manufactured in the Netherlands and is built there. This concerns the electrical and hydraulic installations such as trolleys, the drive of the doors and the technical areas. One of the doors will be finished in a dug out part of the future chamber of the new sea lock. The other two in the western port area of Amsterdam.
Talisman
The three doors arrived in the Netherlands on 6 December from South Korea. On the second Maasvlakte, they were removed from the transport ship Talisman by partially sinking the ship. This caused the doors to float. Then they were put up straight by tilting them 90 degrees. This was not possible in IJmuiden due to insufficient depth. In addition, while sinking the three doors, the ship would completely block the passage to and from the locks for 24 hours.
New IJmuiden Sea Lock
Since 2016, IJmuiden has been working on the construction of the largest sea lock in the world to accommodate the ever larger seagoing vessels. The new lock will be 500 m long, 70 m wide and 18 m deep. The project is a joint venture between the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the province of North Holland, the municipality of Amsterdam, the Port of Amsterdam and the municipality of Velsen.
The OpenIJ consortium of contractors is building the new sea lock on behalf of the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management. The lock is expected to come into operation in January 2022.
Picture by Gerrit Serne.
