Lock Evergem

The first lock, the Westbekesluis, was commissioned in 1965, along with the northern part of the Ringvaart, the Noordervak. It is 16 m wide and 136 m long. At that time, consideration was given to the construction of a second lock of the same dimensions. In 2001, the Westbekesluis recorded 32,000 ship movements, accounting for more than 13 million tons of cargo. The second lock, completed in 2009, is designed for inland vessels up to 4,400 tons, the accepted class for the new Seine-Scheldt connection. It serves as the gateway to France. The total length of this lock is 293 m, making it the largest lock for inland navigation in Belgium. The construction of the new lock also included the demolition of existing quay walls and 680 piles, and the construction of 900 m of new, anchored quay walls.

The lock is equipped with three pairs of lock gates with three sluices so that it can also operate with a half chamber. The gates take 100 seconds to close and three minutes to open. The sluices must be brought to the same level as the water level on both sides of the door. The operation is controlled from the service building where all activities are conducted via computer and mouse with the assistance of color camera images, radar level gauges, and navigation signal detection with LED technology.

Camina