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In the coming months Port of Amsterdam will replace all existing shore power units with smart, green shore power. This will happen to all cabinets in the port area within the ring (A10) of Amsterdam. In total there are 55 cabinets for inland navigation and 16 cabinets for river cruises and super yachts.

Recently, Port of Amsterdam has improved or added five facilities in the port. They are a second drinking water tap, extra poles for smaller ships and extra bollards. In addition, regular inland navigation vessels are now allowed to moor at the push barge spots in the Suezhaven. We made these adjustments on the basis of suggestions from inland navigation itself. After all, we ask for feedback after each visit. In this way, we try to facilitate inland navigation as much as possible and we can continuously improve our facilities.

From now on, inland navigation vessels will be able to extend their mooring duration in the IJhaven even without special circumstances. The extra mooring time will be 3 weeks on top of the standard 7 days, 4 weeks in total. This pilot project is a year-long test to see if it works for both inland navigation and the local residents.

A larger lock means bigger ships and more salt water. The locking process creates large volumes of fresh or salt water flowing into or out of the lock and water turbulence may scour out holes near the inner and outer lock heads, undermining them.

There are also divers at work for the construction of Zeesluis IJmuiden (the new sea lock). They are busy with underwater engineering and construction activities. Max Schellenbach and Jan-Pieter Steunebrink of Boskalis are responsible for the Boskalis diving department and the execution of the work for OpenIJ. They told us about the work of their divers.

The construction of Zeesluis IJmuiden is almost completed. Now that all the lock gates have been put in position, the area around the new sea lock is being prepared for its future use. During the preparation of the area, everything will be made ready for the opening of the lock.

In March 2021, the last two lock gates on the canal side were successfully installed. The whole operation lasted four days. Edgar Breedveld and Victor Arnolds were involved in this milestone achievement. They directed the positioning process and ensured a good outcome.

Zeesluis IJmuiden will soon be ready for use. But first, staff will have to master the ins and outs of operating the lock. Mia Dröge is Strategic Advisor to the Harbour Master's Division of Port of Amsterdam. Together with a team, she will ensure that the lock can be operated safely.

Port of Amsterdam has decided to postpone the implementation date of the Green Award requirement for river cruise ships for a year to 1 January 2023 in order to accommodate the industry. The pandemic has hit the river cruise industry hard.

Offshore wind is one of the fastest growing sectors, with Europe investing some 26 billion euros in wind at sea during 2020 alone. Wind is one of the main components for generating sustainable electricity as part of the energy transition.