Société du Canal Seine-Nord Europe has named Sweco and Arcadis as being amongst the companies chosen to plan and design a large canal for inland vessels up to 4,400 tonnes, which will connect the waterways of France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Canal Seine-Nord Europe
"We are very proud to be involved in an assignment to redesign European freight transport in a sustainable way," says Erwin Malcorps, Managing Director Sweco Belgium.
The Seine-Nord Europe Canal, planned since the early 1960s, will replace the existing Canal du Nord, part of the Canal latéral à l’Oise and a short length of the river Oise.
The new 107 km canal in France will run between the Oise in Compiègne and the Dunkirk-Scheldt canal near Cambrai. A total of seven locks, three navigable aqueducts and 61 bridges will also be built.
Canal Seine-Nord Europe map
Work is expected to start in 2022 and commissioning is planned in December 2028. Sweco and Arcadis will be working on Sector 3 of the project - between the French municipalities of Allaines and Etricourt-Mancourt.
Sectors 2 (from Passel to Allaines) and 4 (from Etricourt-Manancourt to Aubencheul-au-Bac) have been awarded to the ONE business group, led by EGIS International allied with INGEROP Consulting & Engineering, and ISL Engineering amongst others.
The canal is of great economic importance for Europe as it will give a powerful boost to inland navigation between northern Europe and the Paris Basin. It is also expected to eliminate 15 to 20% of transport traffic on the Amsterdam–Paris axis.
The project is to receive up to 50% of its financing from the EU's Connecting Europe Facility programme
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