Dilsen-Stokkem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – De Vlaamse Waterweg NV is dredging a ferry channel using 2 cranes to remove sediment caused by the 2021 high water. Liliane Stinissen says work ends mid-July 2025, avoiding weekends.
As VRT News reported, De Vlaamse Waterweg NV is dredging the Dilsen-Stokkem ferry channel, Limburg province, Belgium, to provide for the safe operation of the ferry service. As per officials, sediment tends to collect naturally in water courses, particularly in ferry channels where the speed of the water is reduced.
If too much sediment accumulates, the ferry might run aground or become wedged. De Vlaamse Waterweg NV spokesperson Liliane Stinissen emphasises the need for maintaining the canal clear. The agency regularly inspects the channel.
How are 2 cranes dredging the Maas to keep the Rotem ferry safe?
The agency is using 2 floating cranes to dredge the channel. One crane has a strong suction pump that removes sediment from the riverbed. This sediment mixes with water to make a slurry. The slurry is then sent through long pipes to a place 150 to 200 meters away in the river, so it doesn’t go back into the channel.
Officials mentioned that this method, called hydraulic dredging, is good for the environment and moves a lot of sediment without causing too much trouble. De Vlaamse Waterweg NV is working to keep the waterways clear and deal with changes like higher water levels and more sediment because of the climate.
“A second crane spreads it there using GPS over strips 10 meters wide.”
“There the sediment can end up back in the Meuse without any problem.”
Stinissen explains.
“There is no sailing in that area.”
During the dredging of the ferry channel, De Vlaamse Waterweg NV is also focusing on protecting the water environment and the creatures that live in the riverbed. According to Liliane Stinissen, a spokesperson, the goal is not only to clear out the sediment but also to reduce any harm to the environment.
The second crane involved in the project has a special bucket and rake. This equipment is used to carefully turn over the top 5 to 15 centimetres of the riverbed. This process stirs up the sediment just enough so that small animals and organisms that live in the mud can escape the dredging area without being hurt.
According to officials, the dredging work can only happen when the water level is low, usually during the drier months. That’s why it’s happening now, even though it’s also the summer, when there are more tourists. To bother people and tourists as little as possible, De Vlaamse Waterweg NV only works on weekdays, from Monday to Friday.
The ferry will run normally on weekends and holidays, like Ascension Day, the day after, and Whit Monday. These rules are meant to balance the need to fix the infrastructure with making sure the public can still use the ferry. They mentioned that if everything goes well and there are no problems like high water or delays, the dredging should be finished by mid-July 2025.
The need for dredging is largely due to high water levels in recent years. In 2021, water levels were exceptionally high, causing a lot of sediment to settle faster than usual. Emergency dredging was done then, and the current operation completes the clean-up.
