Aerial photo of the sluice at Kornwerderzand. Water is visible above and below the photo, with shadows from clouds.
Aerial photo of the sluice at Kornwerderzand. Water is visible above and below the photo, with shadows from clouds.

Widening lock and deepening fairways

Future
The largest lock at Kornwerderzand is no longer wide or deep enough for the ever-larger ships. As a result, shipyards in the North, East and Central Netherlands are missing out on orders. A wider lock would provide a major boost to the regional and national economy.

Why

The large lock at Kornwerderzand will not provide enough space in the future for the larger coastal vessels being built in Kampen, Urk, and Lemmer. Additionally, the luxury superyachts from shipyards in Makkum, Urk, and Vollenhove require a larger lock and deeper navigational channels. Furthermore, increasingly larger cargo ships are sailing from the Baltic Sea region to ports such as Kampen and Lelystad. A larger lock would enable a greater and different category of vessels to access the region.

Therefore, the region—consisting of the provinces of Fryslân, Overijssel, and Flevoland, along with the municipalities of Súdwest-Fryslân, Meppel, Zwolle, Kampen, and Urk—has actively advocated for the expansion of the large lock at Kornwerderzand, the replacement of bridges, and the deepening of navigational channels, in collaboration with dozens of companies in the maritime, logistics, agricultural, circular, and food sectors.

The expansion of the lock at Kornwerderzand will provide a significant boost to the regional economy, and the region aims to create additional jobs through this initiative.

How

With the expansion of the lock, the dimensions of the large lock will be 150 x 25 meters, compared to its current size of 135 x 14 meters. The lowered lock sill will be at -6.1 meters NAP. Along with the lock expansion, the existing drawbridges will be replaced by bascule bridges. These are 'lifting bridges' with a counterweight, which will provide a greater clearance than the current bridges. Finally, the navigational channels in the IJsselmeer and Ketelmeer will also need to be deepened. This will improve access to the ports of Makkum, Lemmer, Urk, Lelystad, Meppel, and Kampen for larger sea vessels.

Co-financed by the European Union.

When

There are ongoing developments that have prompted the national government and the region to discuss the progress of this project. It is currently unclear when the work will commence.