Europe’s answer to the Suez Canal breaks ground after 20-year delay

Work is finally underway on France’s Seine-Nord Europe Canal (SNEC), a major new European trading route that promises to boost the bloc’s economic fortunes.

When it is completed in 2030, the massive 107km infrastructure project will significantly increase the capacity for cheaper, faster and less polluting river trade between France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

As it stands, the smooth flow of commerce between the three nations is being frustrated by the limited capacity of the narrower Canal du Nord.

The antiquated river system struggles to cope with the new generation of super-sized cargo ships powering international trade.

Shipping mishaps and the sheer weight of traffic attempting to navigate a path through the canal create frustrating bottlenecks, costing European businesses valuable time and money.

Despite the urgent need for a new trading route and the canal project securing the green light in 2003, decades of political wrangling and disagreements around funding and the canal’s final route stalled progress, until now.

Investing in Europe’s trading future

The SNEC is a €5.1bn investment by the French government, local authorities, and the EU, in the region’s economic and environmental future.

Analysts suggest the new route could remove as many as a million heavy goods vehicles from France’s roads each year.

The size of the undertaking is staggering, involving as many as sixty bridges, three canal bridges, seven locks, and 700 hectares of environmental plantation.

Nicolas Ledoux, CEO of Arcadis France, which is leading the project, said: “The Seine-Nord Europe Canal will not only enable a modal shift from the roadway to the river but will also create added economic, logistical, agricultural, and climatic value for the territories it crosses through.

“We are very proud to help promote river transport, a high-performing, environmentally friendly, and economical mode of transport that responds to the challenge of energy transition.”

Green jobs and local business opportunities will be created

The new 54-metre wide canal will occupy a section of the Seine-Escaut waterway and create Europe’s first river network with the capacity to accommodate large ships.

It will connect the Seine basin to the main waterways of northern France and Europe.

Arcadis France believes the canal’s development will not only boost national economies but also stimulate growth in the local economies of the areas it passes through.

Green jobs will be created as the canal snakes through protected areas and the natural habitats of a range of species, requiring the construction of wildlife corridors and the planting of extensive environmental plantations.