May 13 - The King of Belgium will officially open the Kieldrecht lock - the largest of its kind in the world - at the Port of Antwerp on June 10, 2016.
Construction of the Kieldrecht lock was necessary in order to ensure better access to the port area on the left bank of the Scheldt, as the existing Kallo lock had reached its limits, said the Belgian gateway.
The Kieldrecht lock will allow the Port of Antwerp to handle the increased size of modern ships, reduce waiting times for ships, increase the amount of traffic at the gateway, providing faster routes for ships and improve hinterland transport.
The lock is considered one of the key projects for the Flemish government and forms part of its Pact 2020 plan, which states that the accessibility of the country's ports must be safeguarded.
