Western Scheldt

Last updated

Designations
Official nameWesterschelde & Saeftinghe
Designated9 April 1995
Reference no.748 [1]
Western Scheldt (Westerschelde) LocatieWesterschelde.png
Western Scheldt (Westerschelde)
Satellite image of the Scheldt delta showing the Western Scheldt at low tide Zeeland van boven.jpg
Satellite image of the Scheldt delta showing the Western Scheldt at low tide

The Western Scheldt (Dutch : Westerschelde) in the province of Zeeland in the southwestern Netherlands, is the estuary of the Scheldt river. This river once had several estuaries, but the others are now disconnected from the Scheldt, leaving the Westerschelde as its only direct route to the sea. The Western Scheldt is an important shipping route to the Port of Antwerp, Belgium. Unlike the Eastern Scheldt estuary, it could not be closed off from the sea by a dam as part of the Delta Works. Instead, the dykes around it have been heightened and reinforced. [2]

Contents

Over the years, many ships have sunk in the Western Scheldt. Following an agreement between the Dutch and Belgian governments in 1995, many of the wrecks have been removed to improve shipping access to Antwerp. It was expected that the last 38 wrecks in the shipping channel would be removed during 2003. The largest wreck was the 131-metre (430 ft) long Alan-A-Dale , which was removed in June 2003.

The Western Scheldt was freed from German occupation in October and November 1944 by the First Canadian Army during The Battle of the Scheldt.

Recently, the Western Scheldt has been exploring the concept of "wisselpolders" [3] [4] or "exchange polders", a sedimentation enhancing strategy, to offset land loss, enhance flood safety and which creates new land. One example is the Perkpolder project. [5]

Western Scheldt Tunnel

In mid-March 2003, a 6.6-kilometre (4.1 mi) tunnel under the Western Scheldt opened, the Western Scheldt Tunnel, running from Ellewoutsdijk in the municipality of Borsele (Zuid-Beveland) to Terneuzen in Zeelandic Flanders. It is the longest road tunnel in the Netherlands. The toll (2012) is €5 for cars and €2.50 for motorcycles. Prior to 2011, the charge for motorcycles was the same as for cars, but it was reduced following protests. The single toll station for both directions is on the north bank. Pedestrians, cyclists, and moped riders are not allowed in the tunnel and must travel through it by bus.

Ferry

The double-decker car ferries that serviced the two Western Scheldt crossings until 2003 were sold to Italian companies. The Queen Beatrix (renamed Tremestieri) and Prince Johan Friso (renamed Acciarello) were adapted for the crossing between Messina and Villa San Giovanni on the Italian mainland.

With the opening of the road tunnel, the Breskens-Vlissingen ferry was restricted to pedestrians and cyclists. It is operated by Westerschelde Ferry BV, a subsidiary of the province of Zeeland. The service initially used former car ferries, but as of 2 May 2004 it employs two "small waterplane area twinhulls" (swaths, similar to catamarans), built at the Royal Schelde Group in Vlissingen (Flushing), and named Prins Willem Alexander and Prinses Máxima.

Upstream, the Kruiningen-Perkpolder ferry was discontinued without replacement.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Zeeland is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east, South Holland to the north, as well as the country of Belgium to the south and west. It consists of a number of islands and peninsulas and a strip bordering the Flemish provinces of East and West Flanders. Its capital is Middelburg with a population of 48,544 as of November 2019, although the largest municipality in Zeeland is Terneuzen. Zeeland has two seaports: Vlissingen and Terneuzen. Its area is 2,934 square kilometres (1,130 sq mi), of which 1,151 square kilometres (440 sq mi) is water; it has a population of 383,689.

The Delta Works is a series of construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands to protect a large area of land around the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta from the sea. Constructed between 1954 and 1997, the works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dykes, levees, and storm surge barriers located in the provinces of South Holland and Zeeland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Scheldt</span> Estuary in Zeeland, Netherlands

The Eastern Scheldt is a former estuary in the province of Zeeland, Netherlands, between Schouwen-Duiveland and Tholen on the north and Noord-Beveland and Zuid-Beveland on the south. It also features the largest national park in the Netherlands, founded in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scheldt</span> River in France, Belgium and the Netherlands

The Scheldt is a 435-kilometre-long (270 mi) river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old English sceald ("shallow"), Modern English shoal, Low German schol, West Frisian skol, and obsolete Swedish skäll ("thin").

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walcheren</span> Former Island in Zeeland, Netherlands

Walcheren is a region and former island in the Dutch province of Zeeland at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Eastern Scheldt in the north and the Western Scheldt in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus. The two sides facing the North Sea consist of dunes and the rest of its coastline is made up of dykes. Middelburg, the provincial capital, lies at Walcheren's centre. Vlissingen, 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) to the south, is the main harbour and the third municipality is Veere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sluis</span> Municipality in Zeeland, Netherlands

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeelandic Flanders</span> Region in Zeeland, Netherlands

Zeelandic Flanders is the southernmost region of the province of Zeeland in the south-western Netherlands. It lies south of the Western Scheldt that separates the region from the remainder of Zeeland and the Netherlands to the north. Zeelandic Flanders is bordered to the south and to the east by Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zuid-Beveland</span> Peninsula in Zeeland, Netherlands

Zuid-Beveland is part of the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands north of the Western Scheldt and south of the Eastern Scheldt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breskens</span> Harbour town in Zeeland, Netherlands

Breskens is a harbour town on the Westerschelde in the municipality of Sluis, Netherlands. Its population is 4,787.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canal through Zuid-Beveland</span>

The Canal through Zuid-Beveland in the southwest Netherlands is the westernmost of two canals crossing the Zuid-Beveland peninsula. It connects the Western Scheldt near Hansweert via a lock complex and the Eastern Scheldt with which is has an open connection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canal through Walcheren</span>

The Canal through Walcheren in the Netherlands crosses the east of Walcheren. It connects the Westerschelde and the Veerse Meer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vlissingen</span> Municipality in Zeeland, Netherlands

Vlissingen, historically known in English as Flushing, is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century Vlissingen was a main harbour for ships of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). It is also known as the birthplace of Admiral Michiel de Ruyter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yerseke</span> Village in Zeeland, Netherlands

Yerseke is a village situated on the southern shore of the Oosterschelde estuary in the Dutch province of Zeeland. A separate municipality until 1970, it today forms part of the municipality of Reimerswaal. As of 2010 Yerseke had a recorded population of 6,695 inhabitants, living in 2,680 households.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellewoutsdijk</span> Village in Zeeland, Netherlands

Ellewoutsdijk is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Borsele, and lies about 18 km east of Vlissingen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ritthem</span> Village in Zeeland, Netherlands

Ritthem is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Vlissingen, about 4 kilometres east of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Scheldt Tunnel</span>

Western Scheldt Tunnel is a 6.6-kilometre (4.1 mi) tunnel in the Netherlands that carries highway N62 under the Western Scheldt estuary between Ellewoutsdijk and Terneuzen. It is the longest tunnel for highway traffic in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reimerswaal (municipality)</span> Municipality in Zeeland, Netherlands

Reimerswaal is a municipality in the province of Zeeland in the southwestern Netherlands on Zuid-Beveland, named after the lost city. The municipality had a population of 22,896 in 2021, and has a surface area of 242.42 km2 (93.60 sq mi) of which 140.62 km2 (54.29 sq mi) is water. The central town Yerseke is known for trade in mussels and oysters. Kruiningen is known for the former ferry from Kruiningen to Perkpolder which was in service up to 2003. The municipality of Reimerswaal was established in 1970, from the aggregation of the municipalities Krabbendijke, Kruiningen, Rilland-Bath, Waarde, and Yerseke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hansweert</span> Village in Zeeland, Netherlands

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inundation of Walcheren</span> Intentional inundation of Walcheren

The Inundation of Walcheren was the intentional, but uncontrolled military inundation, effected by bombing the sea dikes of the former island of Walcheren in Zeeland by the Allies on and after 3 October 1944 in the context of Operation Infatuate during the Battle of the Scheldt after the Allied Invasion of Normandy during World War II. Though the inundation was justified by military necessity, it is controversial whether it was proportional in view of the predictable devastating effects for the civilian population, and the ecology of the island. The fact that the breaches in the sea dikes of the island remained open for a very long time, subjecting the island to the full impact of the twice-daily tides, caused severe damage to agricultural land and infrastructure, and severe hardship for the civilian population. Leaving the breaches open for such a long time, which was unavoidable due to the war-time lack of resources making closing impossible, subjected them to scouring by the tides, that widened and deepened them to such an extent that closing them eventually became extremely difficult, necessitating the development of new dike-building techniques, such as the use of caissons. The last breach was closed on 23 October 1945 and the draining of the island took until early 1946. Only after that could rebuilding the infrastructure and reconstructing the housing stock and the island's economy start. Walcheren was spared during the North Sea Flood of 1953 that devastated many other parts of Zeeland.

The Hertogin Hedwigepolder was a polder between 1907 and 2022 in Zeeland, Netherlands. A small part of the polder is on Belgian territory.

References

  1. "Westerschelde & Saeftinghe". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. Ley, Willy (October 1961). "The Home-Made Land". For Your Information. Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 92–106.
  3. Buiter, Rob (25 January 2021). "Het geheim van de wisselpolder: een alternatief voor het ophogen van dijken". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  4. "Kustverdediging tussen dubbele dijken: veilige, natuurlijke en goedkopere oplossing". WWF.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  5. "Perkpolder". www.perkpolder.nl. Retrieved 12 March 2021.

51°24′N3°43′E / 51.400°N 3.717°E / 51.400; 3.717