Europe’s Answer To 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, Garfield Myrie reported for Euronews.

Decades of political wrangling, funding disagreements, and disputes over the canal’s final route stalled progress—until now. I Photo: Canal Seine-Nord Europe

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

As it stands, the smooth flow of commerce among 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 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, funding disagreements, and disputes over the canal’s final route stalled progress—until now.

The SNEC is a €5.1 billion investment by the French government, local authorities, and the EU, aimed at enhancing the region’s economic and environmental future.

Analysts suggest the new route could remove as many as one 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.