Renovated lock door of P. Vandamme lock restored in lock chamber
After a thorough renovation of more than a year in the inner port of Zeebrugge, lock door number 4 of the Pierre Vandamme lock has been restored in its lock chamber, the company said in its release. It is about the most seaward lock door. It constituted a spectacular operation since the lock door weighs 2,500 tonnes and measures one quarter of a football field. The operation is part of a large-scale renovation of the Pierre Vandamme lock, the main access to the Zeebrugge inner port, accommodating the value added logistics in the automotive and food sectors.
Seagoing vessels have two possibilities to reach the inner port of Zeebrugge : either via the Visart lock or via the Pierre Vandamme lock. The Visart lock (°1907) is obsolete and does no longer comply with the standards of modern shipping. In this respect the Flemish Government prepares an investment of 1 billion euros in a new sea lock on the Visart location.
The Pierre Vandamme lock (°1984) is working at full capacity and needs major renovation. Flanders is investing 120 million euros in a phased renovation, which will be completed by the summer of 2023.