Last January the first phase of the modernization work on the Tournai crossing ended with the opening to navigation for class Va boats, i.e. boats with maximum dimensions of 110 m (length) by 11.40 m (width) for a deadweight tonnage of some 2,000 tonnes.
A major objective for the overall modernization of the Walloon network of inland waterways, it is also an important step for the European Seine- Scheldt project, which will provide a continuous large gauge navigation axis between the Parisian area (Ile-de-France), the Seine estuary, the North of France, Belgium and the Netherlands
This is a big step forward in river transport. In 2018, 41.5 tonnes of freight were transported on the Walloon waterways, the equivalent of 2 million heavy goods vehicles that would have been added to our motorways and roads otherwise.
