After almost 100 years in operation the Northern lock in IJmuiden will be replaced with a larger lock system to improve the accessibility of the port of Amsterdam. This will stimulate the local economy by offering greater space to a growing number of ships – independent of tidal levels. The new lock will be 70m wide, 500m long and 18m deep. The project has a value of approximately 500 million euros.
The new sea entrance forms part of Rijkswaterstaat’s Locks Programme. Rijkswaterstaat, the Province of North Holland, the City of Amsterdam, Port of Amsterdam and the Municipality of Velsen worked together to realise this project, which is co-funded by the TEN-T programme of the European Union.
Construction works commenced in early 2016. The lock will be available for shipping by the end of 2019 and will then be maintained by OpenIJ for 26 years.
As lenders’ technical advisor to OpenIJ we provided due diligence and advisory services covering all technical aspects of the bid documentation. Since financial close was successfully achieved we’ve been carrying out construction and maintenance monitoring, which we will continue to do right through to the project’s completion in 2019. OpenIJ will then maintain the lock for the next 26 years.
This project builds on our previous infrastructure experience in the Netherlands and Belgium, where we are one of the leading providers of technical advisory services having worked on over 20 PPP schemes.