Scheldt-Rhine Canal

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Location of the Rhine-Scheldt connection
View of the Kreekrak locks

The Schelde-Rhine Canal ( Dutch Schelde-Rijnkanaal , English Scheldt-Rhine Canal ) is 35 kilometers long, runs from Antwerp to Volkerak and is part of the Scheldt-Rhine connection. This connects Antwerp with all rivers in the Rhine-Meuse delta . The total length is around 50 kilometers.

The canal begins in Antwerp and crosses South Beveland near the border with Noord-Brabant . On the north side of South Beveland, the Antwerp part of the canal ends in the Zeeland municipality of Reimerswaal at the Kreekrak lock complex with two locks, each 310 meters long and 24 meters wide. These also have a central gate. In these locks, the salt water is separated from the fresh water, as the part behind the lock leads through fresh water. With the opening of the Main-Danube Canal on September 25, 1992, the port of Antwerp is directly connected to the Black Sea via the Scheldt-Rhine Canal .

Then the canal between the Oesterdam and the Markiezaatskade crosses the Zoommeer . The port of Bergen op Zoom can be reached through a short branch canal through a lock. The canal continues over the former Eendracht (fairway) between the island of Tholen and the mainland of North Brabant, past Sint-Philipsland , into Volkerak. You can reach Rotterdam via the Volkerak locks and the Dordtsche Kil, and the Waal via the Nieuwe Merwede.

The canal is free of tides from Kreekrak to the three Volkerak locks. There used to be plans to continue the canal on the Belgian side in the direction of De Kempen , but this was given up due to numerous protests.

The locks are 326.5 meters long and 24 meters wide, and the canal can be used by four barges for push convoys. In addition to the three main locks, there is also a lock for recreational shipping.

Transport volume 2005

Overall, the Volkerak locks passed in 2005:

  • 118,000 commercial ships and 43,000 leisure ships
  • 98,525 million tons of cargo were transported
  • 1.5 million TEU were transported
  • 13,000 barges were funneled
  • 17,000 ships with dangerous cargo passed through the locks.

bridges

A number of bridges cross the canal:

  • the Sankt-Philipsland-Brücke between Steenbergen and Sankt-Phlipsland (N257)
  • the Vossemeer bridge between Oud and Nieuw Vossemeer
  • the Tholen Bridge connection Tholen- Halsteren
  • three bridges at the Kreekrak lock:
  • Road bridge N289 between Rilland and Hoogerheide
  • Railway bridge of the Seelandlinie
  • A58 motorway bridge
  • the bridge at Bath
  • the Noordland Bridge in Zandvliet (Belgium near the A12, the Dutch A4 )

source

Web links

Commons : Schelde-Rhein-Kanal  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files