2023-09-30 18:44:00
36 boats are stuck because of a construction site which was not completed on time at the Auvelais lock, in the province of Namur.
The Auvelais lock project was due to end 13 days ago. But this Saturday, the work continued… There is an emergency, because on the Sambre, there is a traffic jam. Yann has been stuck on his boat for two weeks. On board, he has 260 tonnes of wheat which he must deliver to the Netherlands. “The fact of making us believe each time, drop by drop, that it will reopen, so we wait. And we are always in hope. It has a psychological impact since the wait, we don’t know how long it will last. And a financial impact…”confides the captain of a boat.
Spend the time as best you can
To pass the time, he does maintenance on his boat. “When I’m busy during my free time, I’ve actually done all my oil changes, including the main engine oil change”he said. “And apart from washing and doing maintenance, that’s all we can do for now. And hope for a soon reopening…”
In the meantime, he will still have to wait until Thursday: the new reopening deadline announced. And it’s the same for Roeland. This Dutch boatman is transporting 270 of barley, which he was supposed to deliver two weeks ago to a buyer. “He’s waiting for his product. I think he wants to make beer with all that. And you have to call him every two or three days to say that things have changed once more. I might already make two or three more trips, and it costs me 10,000 euros, something like that”he emphasizes.
It’s a surprise that the authorities are not capable of judging the situation correctly
Everyone hopes to be compensated by the Walloon Region. But boatmen are not the only ones affected. There are also tourist boats. A Dutch couple was planning to visit Belgium… But it was a failure! “For us, it is a surprise that the authorities are not able to judge the situation correctly. If we had had the right information, we would have found another way to Holland.”regrets the gentleman.
The couple will have to be content with the landscape of the Sambre for a few more days.
auvelais lock
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