News

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.

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 contours of Zeesluis IJmuiden are now clearly visible and this means that the final phase of construction has now begun. In the coming months, OpenIJ will continue with the construction of the Loswal (quay) on the Zuidersluiseiland (number 1 in the picture); the public road across the locks will open for pedestrians, cyclists and mopeds (number 2 in the picture).

The City of Amsterdam has recently approved Port of Amsterdam's new Strategic Plan 2021-2025. This plan sets out Port of Amsterdam's strategic choices for the next four years. The main objective: to be a leading European Sea port in the transition to a sustainable society.

Samskip announced today that the company will start a new container service on the 25th of January, connecting the TMA Logistics terminal in the port of Amsterdam to the Irish port of Dublin.

The port of Amsterdam experienced a decrease in transhipment in 2020 for the first time in a long time. While transhipment was at a record high in 2019 at 86.9 million tonnes, in 2020 this number was 74.3 million tonnes, a 14% decrease, for the port of Amsterdam.

Alexander Kousbroek has been appointed Port of Amsterdam’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) effective 1 January 2021. He will be succeeding Michiel de Brauw, who is resigning from his position on 31 December 2020.