Antwerp opens renovated Van Cauwelaert lock

Antwerp opens renovated Van Cauwelaert lock    Belgium's Port of Antwerp this week inaugurated the renovated Van Cauwelaert lock, which will provide a more efficient connection between the Scheldt, the barge terminals and the Albert canal.
   'Now that the economy is reviving once more, a fully functional lock is essential to promote barge transport as an alternative to road transport,' said Antwerp Minister of Mobility and Public Works Hilde Crevits, in a statement.
   Renovation of the 80-year-old lock started in April 2008. Not only were the lock gates, gate recesses and the inside wall of the lock chamber renewed, but the control and power mechanisms were modernized and a tunnel for cables was created underneath the lock.
   The renovated Van Cauwelaert lock, together with the modernized Royers lock and raising the bridges over the Albert Canal as far as Meerhout, forms part of the waterways project aimed at making the canal an attractive alternative for road transport.
   The port authority said raising the bridges will allow barges to travel on the Albert Canal carrying containers stacked four high. This forms part of the ongoing effort to achieve a modal shift and better mobility. The renovation work cost 70 million euros ($103 million).
   'Every day 156 barges sail in and out of the port of Antwerp, putting heavy pressure on the locks. Furthermore the barges are becoming ever larger,' said Port Alderman Marc Van Peel. 'It is therefore of crucial importance for a port such as Antwerp, the second largest in Europe, to offer efficient, modern locks for its customers.'