Tuesday, February 3, 2015 - 09:12 by ce-press
On November 26, the City Council of Amsterdam said ‘yes’ to the accelerated and expanded construction of the new large sea lock in IJmuiden, with the one-off investment required for this being given the green light.
The new lock will be operational in 2019. It will be 500m in length, 18m deep and 65m wide. It will safeguard the ongoing accessibility of the ports and businesses along the North Sea Canal, including for large vessels with deep draughts.
Port of Amsterdam chief executive officer Dertje Meijer said: “The new, larger sea lock will be good for the port, the region and the business community in the area. With this decision, the City Council of Amsterdam is investing in the future and in sustainable growth for the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area.’
For the accelerated construction the port is working with the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, the Dutch Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management, the Province of North Holland, the City of Amsterdam and the Municipality of Velsen.
The project received an EU subsidy for the planning study phase as part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) programme. A subsidy application will also be made relating to the implementation stage of the project.
This year Amsterdam expects 143 calls, up on 134 in 2014 and close to the 144 record set in 2012.
Holland America will homeport Koningsdam in Amsterdam from May until September 2016 following her entry into service in February. She joins Rotterdam sailing out of her namesake and Prinsendam from IJmuiden.
With this expansion HAL hopes to boost the number of passengers traveling from The Netherlands. In 2013, there were 114,000 Dutch cruisers with the cruise penetration in the Netherlands being 0.6%. Great Britain and Germany have a percentage well above the 2 percent. Nico Bleichrodt, managing director sales & marketing North and Central Europe HAL, says a cruise penetration of 1% is a feasible target for the near future, ie 160,000.
