On Wednesday 26 January, King Willem-Alexander will open the IJmuiden Sea Lock. The new sea lock will replace the Noordersluis, which had to be replaced after almost 100 years. The IJmuiden Sea Lock is the largest in the world and a technical masterpiece.

The new sea lock is extremely important for Amsterdam and the port. The Zeesluis IJmuiden and the Port of Amsterdam form an important gateway to Europe. Everyone can watch the opening online at openingzeesluisijmuiden.nl.

We raise the sea lock flag

The Port of Amsterdam was the birthplace of our city. To this day, the port provides employment and prosperity. We will hoist the Zeesluis flag on the town hall on Wednesday especially for the official opening of the Zeesluis IJmuiden.

Added value

The new IJmuiden Sea Lock will give Amsterdam’s sea access for 100 years good access by sea and improve the main waterway network in Europe. This will also allow the port to continue working on the development of a sustainable and circular energy and raw materials hub, together with the other municipalities in the North Sea Canal area.

Big bigger Biggest

Everything about the louse is large and the amounts of materials are enormous. For example, the 2 doors and the spare door each weigh 3,000 tons. They are the size of an apartment building measuring 72 meters long, 11 meters wide and 24 meters high. 300,000 cubic meters of concrete was used for the construction of the lock. This can be found in the walls, the floor and the door casings, among other things, in which the doors disappear when the lock opens. In total 4.5 million cubic meters of soil was excavated for the construction of the lock.

Not the last of ebb and flow

With a size of 500 meters long, 70 meters wide and 18 meters deep, Zeesluis IJmuiden is the largest sea lock in the world. The new sea lock makes the passage of all large seagoing vessels possible. They also get bigger. In addition to its enormous size, the lock has another major advantage. Because it is 18 meters deep, ships coming from the sea can pass through the lock day and night. They do not have to wait in front of the lock for ebb and flow and can always proceed smoothly and safely to the port.

Dry feet and clean drinking water

The sea lock was constructed at 8.85 meters above NAP, ensuring dry feet in this part of the Randstad. The flood defense height of the new lock is higher than that of the developing lock complex. In order to protect nature, agriculture and horticulture and the drinking water supply against the salt water, we will drain this through an opening in a sheet pile wall in the Binnenspuikanaal of the Spui and Pumping Station complex IJmuiden next to the sea lock.

collaboration

The Zeesluis IJmuiden project is a collaboration between the covenant parties of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the province of North Holland, the municipality of Amsterdam, together with the Port of Amsterdam and the municipality of Velsen.

Livestream opening

On 26 January, the sea lock will be officially opened by King Willem-Alexander. Due to the current corona measures, no public can be present at the opening. You can watch the official opening via a live stream.

Watch live on Wednesday 26 January from 14.45 am to 15.30 pm via openingzeesluisijmuiden.nl.