This week, the first lock gate of the new IJmuiden sea lock at Port of Amsterdam was successfully installed. The door has been entered into the door shaft of the outer head. The entire operation took 72 hours.
The door, with a length of 72 meters, 11 meters wide and 24 meters high, had been in the chamber on the east side (canal side) since its arrival in IJmuiden at the beginning of 2019. It is equipped with all necessary technical installations, which have subsequently been tested. Before the door could be dragged to its definitive position in the outer basin, 600,000 m3 of sand was first dug from the lock chamber to bring it to depth. This work has recently been completed.
The installation of the door took place in stages. First, the door with a weight of 3000 tons was moved to the most southwestern bollard for the outer head. Subsequently, the lock gate was turned 90 degrees around its axis by means of large winches and maneuvered into the door axis.
After the door was in the correct position, the lock door was sunk in the next phase and connected to the upper roller carriage. This upper roller carriage is the drive for the door. Subsequently, the door was lowered further and connected to the lower roller carriage.
This undercarriage makes sure that the door can run over a rail on the threshold of the sea lock when opening and closing the door. The functioning of the door will be tested in the coming months. In addition to the function of entrance gate to the sea lock, the door is also part of the future high water barrier.
Currently, the two other lock gates for the sea lock are still temporarily parked in the Amerikahaven, awaiting the completion of the construction of the inner head door greenhouse. These doors have also been completed and tested. As soon as it is possible to place the doors in the door casing of the inner head, they will be transported from the Amerikahaven to the new sea lock in IJmuiden.
In order to provide space for ever-expanding seagoing vessels, IJmuiden has been building the largest sea lock in the world since 2016. The new lock will be 500 meters long, 70 meters wide and 18 meters deep.
The project is a collaboration of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the province of North Holland, the municipality of Amsterdam, Port of Amsterdam and the municipality of Velsen.
The lock is expected to be operational in early 2022.
