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Intermodal
November/December 2017
Smoother transit through
Terneuzen Rising from the
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arge operators wanting to pass
through the Ternuezen lock can
now provide more efficient advance
notice.
Terneuzen sits on a slither of land
belonging to the Netherlands on the south
side of Scheldt Estuary. However, vessels
must pass through its lock to access Port of
Ghent, which lies in Belgium.
With the ‘Planningstool Binnenvaart
Terneuzen’, barge masters can make
advance notifications for passing through
the lock, such that inland vessels can be
planned sooner for locking activity.
From next year until 2022, a new bigger
lock is to be built which could see increased
waiting times for shipping. In order to limit
the disruption as much as possible, the
Terneuzen planning tool, at first only
intended for seagoing vessels, is now also
With the ‘Planningstool Binnenvaart Terneuzen’, barge masters can make advance notifications for passing through the lock to
access Port of Ghent
available for inland navigation.
Barge masters can provide notification a
maximum 24 hours in advance via BICS (an
electronic notification system for inland
navigation), via telephone or via the website
www.sluisplanning.nl.
Through this website, barge masters who
have given notice can see what time and
which basin they are assigned to. They can
then adapt their itinerary to this, for
instance by sailing more slowly and saving
on fuel. Another advantage is that barge
masters can moor and wait for their locking
at a longer distance from the lock at berths
that are less frequently occupied.
Barge masters are not obliged to use the
planning tool. However, the lock authority
recommends using the new system to be
sure of a fixed time for transiting the
system.
Tank Management
Software
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