According to Waternet, the Oranjesluis will remain closed for another one to two days. The locks have been closed since last night due to high water in the IJmeer and the Markermeer. Ships are now standing still: “We are here with thirty ships, we can’t do anything.”
The Oranjesluis are closed because it has rained a lot in recent days. They can only open again when the water level on the side of the IJmeer has dropped.
Now that the locks are closed, Amsterdam is no longer accessible via the IJmeer. Ships that want to sail to the port and IJmuiden now have to via the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal. It’s a shame for skippers who are now stationary outside the lock. “We have twenty-five to thirty ships here and nothing else is happening. We just have to sit idly by and shut down your business again. That’s what it boils down to in short.”
The water level must be lowered via the pumping station at Zeeburg and the drainage complex at IJmuiden. “We expect this to take another one or two days,” says Arjan Hooiland of Waternet. He understands the skippers’ concerns, but according to him, water management comes first. “Everyone has to keep their feet dry.”
2024-01-04 19:00:00
#Oranje #locks #closed #day #skippers #disappointed #watch #passively
