The Kieldrecht Lock (

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

: Kieldrechtsluis), referred to as the Deurgank Dock Lock (

: Deurgankdoksluis) during construction, is the largest

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

in the world. The Kieldrecht Lock is the newer of two locks that give access to the left-bank docks of the

Port of Antwerp The Port of Antwerp-Bruges is the port of the City of Antwerp. It is located in Flanders (Belgium), mainly in the province of Antwerp but also partially in the province of East Flanders. It is a seaport in the heart of Europe accessible to ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, between the

Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corr ...

river and the Waasland Canal. The creation of the Kieldrecht lock has relieved the amount of traffic for the Waasland Canal that the Kallo Lock was experiencing. The lock, situated in the municipality of Beveren, was opened on 10 June 2016 in the presence of

King Philippe of Belgium french: Philippe Léopold Louis Mariegerman: Philipp Leopold Ludwig Maria , house = Belgium , father = Albert II of Belgium , mother = Paola Ruffo di Calabria , birth_date = , birth_place = Belvédère Castle, Laeken, B ...

Construction

On 24 October 2011, work started on the Kieldrecht Lock on the left bank of the Scheldt. The construction of the lock was completed on 27 April 2015, and the lock was filled with water. The filling with 1 million m³ of water took a week. The official opening was initially planned for 15 April 2016, but opening was postponed due to heavy water damage in a technical room. The opening finally took place on 10 June 2016, in the presence of King Filip. Based on the design of the Berendrecht Lock, it has the same length and width, but with an operational depth (TAW) of , which makes it the world's largest lock. To construct the lock, 9.1 million m³ of earth was excavated, and 22,000 tonnes of structural steel, three times the amount required to build the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed "'' ...

. Costing €340 million, of which 50% is financed by the

European Investment Bank The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the EU Member States. It is one of the largest supranational lenders in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt solutions ...

, the Flemish

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also made an €81 million credit line available, with the balance provided by the Antwerp Port Authority and the Flemish Government.

Dimensions

The dimensions of the Kieldrecht Lock are: *Length: *Width: *Operational depth (TAW): *Lock gates: four sliding gates

References

External links

Official website
{{Belgian ports Buildings and structures in Antwerp Locks of Belgium