Published on: January 5, 2026, 3:18 PM
In December 2025, Rijkswaterstaat placed additional sand on and in front of the beach of Ameland with so-called sand nourishments. The nourishments took place on both West and East Ameland. In total, contractor Boskalis Netherlands placed over 5 million m3 of sand from the North Sea.
With this extra sand, we keep the coastline in place. This way, Ameland remains protected against the sea and the island does not shrink. The extra sand is sourced from sand extraction areas in the North Sea located at least 10 km offshore.
Ameland West
On Ameland West near Hollum, approximately 2.5 million m3 of sand was placed on the beach. The west side of Ameland is subject to strong erosion caused by wind, waves, and currents. A lot of sand is also carried away by the strong tidal current between Terschelling and Ameland.
Ameland East
The east coast of Ameland also loses a significant amount of sand structurally. Therefore, this year 3 million m3 of sand was placed on the seabed off the coast of Ameland East. Over time, this is transported by currents to the beach.
Research on Sand Extraction Effects
Before and after the sand extraction, research is conducted into the effects on nature. How quickly does nature recover and which factors influence this? This knowledge is used for future nourishments.