The logistics centre has been relocated
The OpenIJ Logistics Centre is the place where all materials for the construction of the new sea lock are stored. Initially, the centre was located in Amsterdam's Western Port Area, but recently the site has been relocated and the materials have been stored close to the lock complex.
Wouter Sloven is Logistics Manager at OpenIJ and has been involved in the construction of the sea lock for 5 years. He talked to us about the old and new logistics centre.
Wouter explained, "The old Logistics Centre of OpenIJ was located in the Western Port Area of Amsterdam. We rented a small part of the business site there. The lease, however, was going to expire. So we moved and found a place somewhere else. The new site of the Logistics Centre of OpenIJ is now located near the sand depot in Velsen Noord."
Transport by water
The logistics centre is used for storing and transporting goods by water. Wouter explained, "Many materials are heavy and very large. We cannot transport them by road. That's why we need a place where we can store everything with access to transport by water. That is the purpose of our logistics centre. From here we can put the materials on a barge and transport them to the lock complex.
OpenIJ Logistics Centre
Materials are shipped from the logistics centre to the lock complex. Sloven added, "In fact, this is a location for a short interim storage of all materials. The new location has the same function, but is slightly smaller than the location in Amsterdam. There has already been quite some progress with the construction of the sea lock, so we need fewer and fewer materials. The OpenIJ logistics centre is expected to be vacated at the end of March 2021."