No more pleasure boating on many rivers and canals

Pleasure boats can only enter the lock with commercial vessels. This way less water flows away. This is a major problem for the marina in Nieuwpoort. And no one knows how long it will take.

Rik Hilleweg operates one of the largest pleasure boat companies, here in Nieuwpoort. In the full season, more than 25 pleasure yachts are chartered to people from all over the world. But the lock ban for pleasure craft makes it very difficult in the Yser region.

“As of today, we are at a loss. I will put it this way: we are not recognized by the government as a professional shipping company. This means that our shipping company is starting to fail and may even come to a standstill,” it sounds.

In the Yser Basin, pleasure boats are only allowed through the locks if they have to be opened for professional shipping. The Flemish waterway in Oudenburg monitors the entire area.

The shipping company from Nieuwpoort says that they have had more and more problems due to climate change in recent years. Either there is too much water, too little, or there is nuisance due to algae growth.