NOORD

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Amsterdam-Rhine Canal will be closed again for repairs

The Amsterdam-Rhine Canal will be closed again on Feb 20 between 10:00 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Diemen. Rijkswaterstaat previously announced that shipping on the canal would be disrupted for several hours on Feb 18 and Feb 19, because work was being done on the high-voltage cables that were damaged by the 'Noord'. On Feb 20, grid operator TenneT will carry out additional work that is necessary to fully repair the damage. A number of cables had snapped and ended up in the water. According to TenneT, the allision did not lead to a power outage. Rijkswaterstaat stated that the repair work must be carried out as quickly as possible in order to continue to guarantee the supply of electricity in the area.

About 50 ships blocked after crane ship hit high voltage cables

On Feb 17, 2025, shortly after 08:00 a.m. the 'Noord' , en route from Amsterdam, slammed into high voltage cables while transiting the Amsterdam-Rhine-Canal at canal kilometre 3 near Diemen, At least two cables ended up in the water. They were also lying over a number of trees and a cycle path. A third cable was damaged, but was still hanging. Emergency services arrived on site and cordoned off the area. The traffic posts in Schellingwoude and Wijk bij Duurstede kept shipping informed of the situation. The traffic on the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal was disrupted between the Oranje Lock near Amsterdam and Wijk near Duurstede, some fifty kilometres away, at 8.18 a.m. There were about 50 ships waiting to continue their voyage as of 1 p.m. The 'Noord' was moored in pos. 52° 20' N 005° 00' E. Grid operator Tennet immediately started repairing the two damaged cables, which normally carry 115,000 volts, but lose their voltage when they break. Grid operator TenneT is on site to repair the cables. The power has been switched off, so the area was not experiencing a power outage. The waterway was fully reopened to shipping around 4:45 p.m. It is possible that part of the canal will be closed again at a later time for repair of the cables. The cause of the allision is being investigated. It is still unclear why the crane on the ship was positioned so high that the cables could be hit. Whether that is necessary and when it should happen is still unclear. Reports with photo and video: https://www.noordhollandsdagblad.nl/regio/gooi/amsterdam-rijnkanaal-weer-vrij-voor-scheepvaart-na-hoogspanningskabels-in-water-bij-botsing-update/41488218.html https://www.parool.nl/amsterdam/amsterdam-rijnkanaal-weer-vrij-voor-scheepvaart-nadat-kraanschip-tegen-hoogspanningskabel-voer~baf184e5/ https://www.rtvutrecht.nl/nieuws/3855294/amsterdam-rijnkanaal-weer-vrij-voor-scheepvaart-na-dag-te-zijn-gestremd