Young CEDA unlocking the role of dredging
Unlocking the role of dredging in constructing one of the world’s largest locks and making new connections along the way—what a way to start the year! Young CEDA kicked off 2025 with a visit to the impressive new sea lock in Terneuzen.
DEME and Sassevaart provided an interesting look into the construction of this key link in the future Rotterdam-Paris shipping route. The day included insightful presentations and a site visit, where the group gained a real sense of the scale and complexity of the project.
One of the most impressive aspects were the logistics—keeping navigation open as long as possible by dredging and repeatedly reshaping the site with temporary land reclamations during construction.
Another key takeaway was the strength of the multidisciplinary team behind the project. Experts in dredging, geomechanics, structural engineering, and hydrology collaborated to develop innovative solutions and overcome the challenges that arose throughout the project.
To top it off, the group had the rare opportunity to visit the underground bridge cellar. Standing inside this enormous subsurface structure really put into perspective how much of the engineering is hidden below the waterline—an area few people get to see firsthand!
A special thanks to DEME and Sassevaart for their warm welcome and for sharing their interesting experiences with us.
If you missed the visit and want to learn more, you can still visit the information centre: https://www.portaalvanvlaanderen.nl/informatiecentrum-2/