News item | 11-05-2026 | 11:00
The national government and the region are joining forces to renovate the Willem Barentszkade on Terschelling. Minister of Infrastructure Vincent Karremans, the mayor of Terschelling Roel Cazemier and deputy of Fryslân Matthijs de Vries announced this on Monday.
The quay is vital for the accessibility of the island, but is in poor condition. Part of it is now no longer passable. Without a strong and safe quay, the entire accessibility of the island will come under pressure; trucks can no longer supply shops, buses can no longer run and there is no fuel on the island.
In the long term, due to deterioration, no vehicle will be able to cross the quay and Terschelling will be inaccessible. That is a situation that we must not allow to arise. Alternatives to the quay have been investigated, but appear not to be feasible.
Formally, the quay is the responsibility of the municipality. To renovate the quay in such a way that it can last another 100 years, Terschelling needs tens of millions of euros. And the problem is urgent: if there is no prospect of a structural solution before July, the municipality will have to close the quay in extreme cases.
The government has therefore decided to support Terschelling in the restoration of the quay, because this is the only form of accessibility. The government, province and municipality have agreed to divide the costs 50/50 between the state and the region. The 50% of the region is paid for by a combination of financing from the municipality, province, funds and alternative investments.
“I am pleased that the national government and the region are jointly supporting this project to ensure that Terschelling remains accessible,” says Minister Vincent Karremans. “The problems on this island are unique: without a robust quay, Terschelling is cut off from the outside world. This benefits no one: not the residents of Terschelling, and not all those people who visit this beautiful island.”
“This is very good news for Terschelling. Without a good quay, residents, visitors, emergency services and goods cannot safely get to and from Terschelling. That is why we have been working together for support in recent times. This has yielded results. I am proud of how we have developed as an island. I am also happy that the National Government and the Province of Fryslân see the importance of our port. Now we can continue working on a safe, usable and future-proof port.” said Roel Cazemier (Mayor of Terschelling).
“With a solution for the quay, we also restore the accessibility, quality of life and future of Terschelling. By investing together in a sustainable and safe port, we keep Terschelling connected to the mainland, says Matthijs de Vries (Deputy of Fryslân).
