Maritime access

Strategic location

North Sea Port is strategically situated within the Western European waterway network, along the Western Scheldt and the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal. The Western Scheldt provides a good connection to the North Sea and its international shipping routes to the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic States, and the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal provides a convenient link to the hinterland.

European corridors

North Sea Port is also part of two important transport corridors in the European Union: the North Sea-Rhine-Mediterranean Corridor and the North Sea-Baltic Corridor. As a true multimodal port, we can thus ensure that goods reach their final destination quickly and efficiently, by inland waterway, rail or road.

Maximum draughts

With a maximum draught of 17 metres in Vlissingen and 12.5 metres in Terneuzen and Ghent, North Sea Port is also accessible to the largest seagoing vessels. Around 9,100 seagoing vessels and 41,000 inland vessels dock at our port every year. In Terneuzen and Ghent, they do this via the North Sea locks, the lock complex that connects the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal with the North Sea.

Read more about the draughts in North Sea Port

Smooth and secure communication

All vessels arriving in or departing from North Sea Port must report electronically via Enigma+, a tool for smooth and secure information and communication. The tool is used, among other things, to calculate port fees based on ship, voyage and cargo data, or to order services such as pilots, boatmen or tugs. In addition, there are various other facilities for maritime and inland shipping.

Read more about Enigma+