Crucial improvements of the port of Zeebrugge

The port of Zeebrugge is the second largest port in Belgium and is therefore also an important player in Europe. In order to continue to fulfil this role it is not only necessary to grow, but also to remain easily accessible. The objective of the complex project "Nautical accessibility of the port of Zeebrugge" is therefore to improve and to continue to guarantee nautical accessibility to the inner port of Zeebrugge, also in the future. This will be realized by means of a new lock at the current Visart lock, the necessary rail facilities for tram and train, and a new connecting road with tunnel for through traffic.

In addition to economic development, this project also takes into account the necessary improvement of the quality of life, the environmental and the mobility around the port.

Tractebel and its subsidiary IMDC have been involved in this project for a long time and will also in this phase bring in some very specific expertise. IMDC is responsible for instance for the preparation of the groundwater and sediment transport models and the modeling of the salt intrusion, in support of the impact assessment in the EIA. Tractebel and its subsidiary IMDC will also strengthen and support the EIA team, in particular for the disciplines of Noise & Vibration and Landscape, Architectural Heritage and Archeology, and there will be collaboration for the preparation of the project research note, the liveability study and the mobility study, given the involvement of her experts in previous phases.