At the initiative of the French Embassy and the Province of Zeeland, a broad delegation of governments and businesses explored the route of the Canal Seine-Nord Europe today. Construction of this new canal, which offers great opportunities for Zeeland companies and industry, began in spring 2025.
Terneuzen as Gateway to Paris
The Canal Seine-Nord Europe – also called the Seine-Scheldeverbinding – will soon connect the Seine with the Scheldt. In combination with adjustments to waterways in Wallonia and Flanders and the new lock in Terneuzen, a direct inland shipping connection between Zeeland and Paris will be created.
Thanks to this new shipping route, ships will soon be able to sail directly from Terneuzen to Paris. This makes Terneuzen the gateway to Paris and North Sea Port the most accessible port for northern France. This significantly expands Zeeland’s economic hinterland and offers great opportunities for Zeeland companies and industry.
The trip is organized by the Province of Zeeland in cooperation with the French embassy. King’s Commissioner Hugo de Jonge, deputies Jo-Annes de Bat and Wilfried Nielen are present at the working visit, together with French administrators, port authorities and representatives of companies from logistics, industry and the energy sector.
The program consists of administrative and strategic discussions in Paris, a technical and substantive visit to the Maison du Canal in Compiègne, meetings at Ports de Lille and a closing in Terneuzen focusing on the energy transition , hydrogen and nuclear energy.
Opportunities for Zeeland
Zeeland gains concrete opportunities in, among others, freight transport. The new connection becomes an important link in the European network for freight transport. Due to a faster connection for inland shipping, freight flows shift from road to water. This offers great advantages for accessibility, costs and the environment. Annually, approximately two million fewer trucks are expected.
This concerns freight flows that run via Zeeland waterways, such as building materials, kerosene, chemicals but also energy, agrifood and raw materials, with North Sea Port as the central hub of economic activity. New possibilities arise, such as supplying Charles de Gaulle Airport with goods from Zeeland and collaborations with the growing battery cluster around Lille.
Largest European Waterway Project at Present
The Canal Seine-Nord Europe is a very extensive and multi-year project. The canal will be 107 kilometers long and 54 meters wide with dozens of bridges, large locks and aqueducts. The project is carefully integrated into landscape and nature and is the largest European waterway project currently under construction. The budget for the canal alone is over 7 billion. The Canal Seine-Nord Europe is expected to be completed in 2032.