When it is completed in 2030, the massive 107km
infrastructure project will significantly increase the capacity for cheaper,
faster and less polluting river trade between France, Belgium, and the
Netherlands.
As it stands, the smooth flow of commerce between the three
nations is being frustrated by the limited capacity of the narrower Canal du
Nord.
The antiquated river system struggles to cope with the new
generation of super-sized cargo ships powering international trade.
Shipping mishaps and the sheer weight of traffic attempting
to navigate a path through the canal create frustrating bottlenecks, costing
European businesses valuable time and money.
Despite the urgent need for a new trading route and the
canal project securing the green light in 2003, decades of political wrangling
and disagreements around funding and the canal’s final route stalled progress,
until now.
The SNEC is a €5.1 billion investment by the French
government, local authorities, and the EU, in the region’s economic and
environmental future.
Analysts suggest the new route could remove as many as a
million heavy goods vehicles from France’s roads each year.
The size of the undertaking is staggering, involving as many
as sixty bridges, three canal bridges, seven locks, and 700 hectares of
environmental plantation.
Nicolas Ledoux, CEO of Arcadis France, which is leading the
project said, “The Seine-Nord Europe Canal will not only enable a modal shift
from the roadway to the river but will also create added economic, logistical,
agricultural, and climatic value for the territories it crosses through.
“We are very proud to help promote river transport, a
high-performing, environmentally friendly, and economical mode of transport
that responds to the challenge of energy transition.”
The new 54-metre-wide canal will occupy a section of the
Seine-Escaut waterway and create Europe’s first river network with the capacity
to accommodate large ships.
It will connect the Seine basin to the main waterways of
northern France and Europe.
Arcadis France believes the canal’s development will not
only boost national economies but also stimulate growth in the local economies
of the areas it passes through.
Green jobs will be created as the canal snakes through
protected areas and the natural habitats of a range of species, requiring the
construction of wildlife corridors and the planting of extensive environmental
plantations.
