The Walsoorden Project, The Netherlands

The Walsoorden Project, The Netherlands

In 1999 Flanders and the Netherlands agreed to closely co-operate in the management of the Scheldt estuary. A “Long Term Vision” (LTV) was set up based on three pillars – protection against flooding, port accessibility, and preservation of nature. In parallel to the LTV, the Antwerp Port Authority tasked an international expert team (called Port of Antwerp Expert Team, or “PAET”) with investigating the possibilities of further deepening the navigation channel. The PAET proposed the idea of morphological management which aims at working with the natural morphology of the estuary. The pilot project consisted of using dredged material to restore the western tip of the Walsoorden sandbar in the Western Scheldt. Positive results with the pilot project encouraged the use of this morphological disposal strategy during the third deepening campaign of the fairway in the Western Scheldt.