Dredging the world's largest lock

摘要

On 21 August last year, the Rijkswaterstaat, part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, awarded the Zeetoegang IJmond project contract for the design, building, financing, and maintenance (DBFM) of a new sea lock at IJmuiden. The winner - Consortium OpenlJ - consists of BAM-PGGM, VolkerWessels and DIF. The new lock will be part of the IJmuiden lock complex, which gives access to the North Sea Canal and the port of Amsterdam. At 500 m long, 70 m wide and 18 m deep, it will be the largest lock in the world. It will replace the Noordersluis (Northern Lock), which is currently the largest in the IJmuiden lock complex. However, this lock is almost 100 years old and is reaching the end of its technical lifespan.