As of Monday morning, it has not been possible for inland shipping to use the Juliana Canal in the Netherlands. The important shipping lane between South and Central Limburg will remain closed for several months, causing a headache for the carriers and shippers who use it.
According to RTL Netherlands, the director of inland shipping company Wilmer Fransbergen has said the closure will cost his company millions of euros – up to a quarter of its turnover.
The resulting detour from the closure will increase some journey times by three days, and end up increasing costs on the route by such an extent that no customer could accept it.
All in all, the damage to the business community amounts to 7.2 million euros per month , according to a study commissioned by Mark Harbers, the former Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management in the Netherlands.
The aforementioned RTL report states that compensation is available for companies, but only if it is completely impossible for them to transport goods via another inland shipping route.
Restoration work and timeline
The reason for the closure is the restoration works the canal is to undergo. The canal itself will be widened and deepened, and before this work can begin, the flooded construction pit must be cleared by draining the canal.
Of course, this is far from a simple process.
“The discharge of water must be controlled. If you just open the lock gates, there is a chance that damage will occur further along the canal, including to bridges and quay structures. We also want to bring all the fish to safety before the canal dries up for good. So we will let the water drain away gradually,” said Project manager Krijn Drijvers, from The Netherlands’ Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, responding to a question about whether 1,883,125,000 litres of water could be released from the canal.
The Netherlands’ Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management says that this initial work is scheduled for mid-September 2024. Then real work can start, including widening the canal and removing the construction pit that suddenly filled up with water in 2023.
“Ultimately, the closure will last until the end of April 2025,” writes the Netherlands’ Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, on its website.
Extra business for road transport companies?
As reported by the NL Times, industry trade body Koninklijke Binnenvaart Nederland has stated that due to the canal’s closure, inland shipping will become so expensive that alternative transport by road must be chosen.
The English-language online newspaper adds that the Chemelot Industrial Estate, where the likes of SABIC, OCI Nitrogen, Fibrant, and AnQore operate, is also concerned about added costs and logistical disruption.
Moreover, NL Times writes that Wessem Port Services, which plays a key role in organising logistics in and out of Chemelot, declared that it will turn to road transport more frequently while the canal is closed.
Photo: Herman Pijpers / CC BY 2.0