Western Scheldt
Encyclopedia
The Western Scheldt in the province Zeeland
in the southwestern Netherlands
, is the estuary
of the Scheldt
river. This river once had several estuaries, but the others are disconnected from the Scheldt, leaving the Westerschelde as its only direct way to the sea. It is an important shipping route to the Port of Antwerp
, Belgium
. Therefore, unlike the other sea arms, it is not closed by a dam as part of the Delta Works
. Instead, the dykes around it have been heightened and reinforced.
Many ships have sunk in the Western Scheldt. Following an agreement between the Ducth and Flemish governments in 1995, many of these wrecks have been removed to improve shipping access to Antwerp. It was expected that the last 38 wrecks in the shipping channel would be removed during 2003. The largest wreck was the 131 metres (429.8 ft) long Alan A. Dale
which was removed during June 2003.
The Western Scheldt was freed from German occupation in October and November 1944 by the First Canadian Army
during The Battle of the Scheldt.
under the Western Scheldt was opened, the Western Scheldt Tunnel, from Ellewoutsdijk (mun. Borsele
) in Zuid-Beveland
to Terneuzen
in Zeelandic Flanders
. It is the longest road traffic tunnel in the Netherlands. The toll fee is €4,70 (2009) for cars
and motorcycle
s. Motorcyclists have protested against the fact that their fee is the same as for cars. The toll booth is on the north bank, for both directions. Pedestrians, cyclists, and moped riders are only allowed to travel through the tunnel by bus.
on the Italian mainland.
With the opening of the road tunnel, the Breskens
-Vlissingen ferry
was restricted to pedestrians and cyclists only. It is operated by Veolia Fast Ferries Zeeland, part of Connex. Initially former car ferries were used, but as of 2 May 2004 the service has been operated by two "small waterplane area twinhulls
" (swaths, similar to catamaran
s), built at the Royal Schelde Group in Vlissingen (Flushing), and named "Prins Willem Alexander" and "Prinses Máxima".
Upstream, the Kruiningen
-Perkpolder ferry was discontinued without direct replacement.
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
in the southwestern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, is the estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the Scheldt
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
river. This river once had several estuaries, but the others are disconnected from the Scheldt, leaving the Westerschelde as its only direct way to the sea. It is an important shipping route to the Port of Antwerp
Port of Antwerp
The port of Antwerp, in Belgium, is a port in the heart of Europe accessible to capesize ships. Antwerp stands at the upper end of the tidal estuary of the Scheldt. The estuary is navigable by ships of more than 100,000 Gross Tons as far as 80 km inland. The inland location means that the port...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Therefore, unlike the other sea arms, it is not closed by a dam as part of the Delta Works
Delta Works
The Delta Works is a series of construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands to protect a large area of land around the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta from the sea. The works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dikes, levees, and storm surge barriers...
. Instead, the dykes around it have been heightened and reinforced.
Many ships have sunk in the Western Scheldt. Following an agreement between the Ducth and Flemish governments in 1995, many of these wrecks have been removed to improve shipping access to Antwerp. It was expected that the last 38 wrecks in the shipping channel would be removed during 2003. The largest wreck was the 131 metres (429.8 ft) long Alan A. Dale
Alan A. Dale
The Alan A. Dale was originally a Danish cargo ship named Norvest, long, wide and 4,700 tons. After the outbreak of World War II she remained in port in the United States. She was one of 84 foreign ships seized by the United States under the Ship Requisition Act, signed on June 6, 1941...
which was removed during June 2003.
The Western Scheldt was freed from German occupation in October and November 1944 by the First Canadian Army
First Canadian Army
The First Canadian Army was the senior Canadian operational formation in Europe during the Second World War.The Army was formed in early 1942, replacing the existing unnumbered Canadian Corps, as the growing number of Canadian forces in the United Kingdom necessitated an expansion to two corps...
during The Battle of the Scheldt.
Western Scheldt Tunnel
In mid-March 2003, a 6.6 km tunnelTunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
under the Western Scheldt was opened, the Western Scheldt Tunnel, from Ellewoutsdijk (mun. Borsele
Borsele
Borsele is a municipality in the southwestern Netherlands on Zuid-Beveland.The name of the municipality is spelled with a single s; the name of the eponymous village is Borssele, spelled with double s....
) in Zuid-Beveland
Zuid-Beveland
Zuid-Beveland is a part of the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands north of the Westerschelde and south of the Oosterschelde. It is a former island, now peninsula, crossed by the Canal through Zuid-Beveland on the west and the Scheldt-Rhine Canal on the east.It consists of four...
to Terneuzen
Terneuzen
Terneuzen is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands, in the province of Zeeland, in the middle of Zeelandic Flanders. With over 55,000 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality of Zeeland.-Population centres :...
in Zeelandic Flanders
Zeeuws-Vlaanderen
Zeelandic Flanders is the southernmost region of the province of Zeeland in south-western Netherlands. It lies south of the Western Scheldt that separates the region from the remainder of Zeeland to the north...
. It is the longest road traffic tunnel in the Netherlands. The toll fee is €4,70 (2009) for cars
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
and motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s. Motorcyclists have protested against the fact that their fee is the same as for cars. The toll booth is on the north bank, for both directions. Pedestrians, cyclists, and moped riders are only allowed to travel through the tunnel by bus.
Ferry
The double-decker car ferries that serviced the two Western Scheldt crossings until 2003 were sold to Italian companies, where two of them, the Queen Beatrix (renamed Tremestieri) and Prince Johan Friso (renamed Acciarello) were adapted for the crossing between Messina and Villa San GiovanniVilla San Giovanni
Villa San Giovanni is a town and comune in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. As of 2010 its population was of 13,747.-Geography:...
on the Italian mainland.
With the opening of the road tunnel, the Breskens
Breskens
Breskens is a harbour town on the Westerschelde in the municipality of Sluis in the province of Zeeland, in the south-western Netherlands. Its population is 4,280 ....
-Vlissingen ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
was restricted to pedestrians and cyclists only. It is operated by Veolia Fast Ferries Zeeland, part of Connex. Initially former car ferries were used, but as of 2 May 2004 the service has been operated by two "small waterplane area twinhulls
Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull
A Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull, better known by the acronym SWATH, is a twin-hull ship design that minimizes hull cross section area at the sea's surface. Minimizing the ship's volume near the surface area of the sea, where wave energy is located, maximizes a vessel's stability, even in high...
" (swaths, similar to catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
s), built at the Royal Schelde Group in Vlissingen (Flushing), and named "Prins Willem Alexander" and "Prinses Máxima".
Upstream, the Kruiningen
Kruiningen
Kruiningen is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Reimerswaal, about 5 km south of the village of Yerseke.Kruiningen has a station on the railway line Bergen op Zoom - Vlissingen.-References:...
-Perkpolder ferry was discontinued without direct replacement.
External links
- Ferry
- Tunnel
- Ferry and Tunnel (in Dutch, pdf, 1MB)