At the invitation of the Wallonia Public Service, the Seine-Escaut EEIG held its monthly meeting in Wallonia on 15 October at the Obourg lock site near Mons.
Representatives of the four operators responsible for implementing Europe’s largest wide-gauge river network (De Vlaamse Waterweg, Wallonia Public Service, Société du Canal Seine-Nord Europe, Voies navigables de France) held their working meeting in the presence of representatives from the European Commission’s DG MOVE and CINEA, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, in the prefabricated buildings of the Obourg lock duplication project.
They were then given a presentation on the two major projects being carried out by the Seine-Scheldt Network on the Walloon backbone:
- the doubling of the Obourg lock, a strategic infrastructure linking the Seine-Scheldt Network, the Meuse and the Rhine. The work, carried out by the SPW, includes the creation of a joint control station, a turning basin and landscaping. It should enable the passage of class Va boats (compared to class IV at present) and double river traffic on the axis. Work began in 2024 and is scheduled for completion at the end of 2027. With a total cost of €129 million, the project is co-financed by the European Union (up to a maximum of €55.5 million) under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
- the widening of the Nimy-Blaton-Péronnes canal, which will allow class Va (110 m) and Va+ (135 m) vessels to pass between France and the Meuse basin. The work involves modifying the curves of the canal (built 60 years ago) in five geographical areas to allow boats to pass each other alternately and reduce journey times. Carried out gradually by the SPW in three successive phases, this widening work has an estimated cost of €84.5 million and is co-financed by the European Union.
The members of the EEIG and representatives of the European institutions then visited the sites of the Nimy-Blaton-Péronnes canal widening works and were able to see the progress made.
It was an exciting day that illustrated the progress made by the Seine-Scheldt Network in Wallonia, as well as in other regions!
